Winter Haven, FL. – RV Dominican University Baseball was back in action at the RussMatt Invitational with a standalone game against Utica at the Chain O' Lakes.
Results:
RV Dominican: 7
Utica: 15
How it Happened:
-After both squads were held scoreless in the first, DU mounted a charge in the top of the second. Senior
Tyler Johnson and Junior
Alex Garcia walked to open the inning, then Sophomore
Christian Pogorzelski singled up the middle to bring in Johnson. Senior
Zach Helein then singled, scoring both Garcia and Pogorzelski. To close the surge, Senior
Ricky Powell launched a two-run homer to left field, giving Dominican a 5-0 lead after the top of the second.
-The Pioneers answered with two runs in the bottom of the second.
-With the Stars being held scoreless at the top of the third, Utica punched home another run, cutting the DU lead to 5-3.
-Utica surged out in front, 6-5, in the bottom of the fourth.
-The Stars struggled to find offense after falling behind, but Freshman
Hunter Zierleyn stopped the bleeding for DU, recording a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the fifth, which included two strikeouts.
-The Pioneers surged in the bottom of the sixth, adding 6 runs and ultimately took a 12-5 lead.
-DU continued to fight into the top of the seventh, starting with Helein, Powell, and Senior
Matthew Earley loading the bases. Senior
Niko Krecu was then hit by a pitch, bringing in Helein. Johnson was then hit by a pitch the next at bat, bringing Powell home. A strikeout and a double-play ended the Stars' rally hopes in the seventh as Dominican still trailed 12-7.
-Utica tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the seventh to extend its lead to 15-7.
-The Stars could not rally late, falling to the Pioneers by a final score of 15-7.
Shining Stars:
-Senior
Ricky Powell finished going 2-4 with a two-run homer and a walk.
-Senior
Zach Helein went 3-5 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored.
-Sophomore
Christian Pogorzelski was 2-4 with an RBI.
-Senior
Matthew Earley went 2-5 with a double.
Leading the Way:
Hits: Helein (3)
2B: Earley (1)
HR: Powell (1)
HBP: Johnson and Krecu (1)
IP: Long (3.2)
Ks: Long (4)
What's Next:
RV Dominican University Baseball falls to 5-2 (0-0 NACC) on the 2026 season. The Stars will get set for a double-header against Penn St. Brandywine on Thursday, March 11
th. First pitch for Game 1 against PSB is slated for 9:30 a.m. EST.
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