ONU OPENS 2024 CAMPAIGN WITH FOUR-GAME SET IN ARIZONA

PHOENIX, Ariz. – The Olivet Nazarene University baseball team opened its 2024 season by winning a game down in Arizona, defeating SAGU American Indian College 13-3 at Sunnyslope High School baseball field Friday evening.

The Tigers raced out to an early lead and never looked back in the 13-3 win over the Warriors. Thursday, ONU opened the weekend with a 13-10 loss to Embry-Riddle before falling 16-3 to Arizona Christian at Greenway High School. The Tigers closed out the trip Saturday with a 7-2 setback to Benedictine Mesa.

A dominant pitching performance from starter Erick Cerezo allowed the ONU bats time to heat up in the win over SAGU AIC. The Venezuelan southpaw threw four innings of one-run ball, scattering three hits and striking out five compared to just one walk.

Jordan Rhoden broke the game wide open in the third inning. Leading 1-0 with the bases loaded, Rhoden roped a bases-clearing 2-RBI single to left field. He added two more RBIs in the fifth inning, plating Taylor Steig and Donovan Yelle who each knocked in runs of their own with RBI singles in their respective at-bats.

The Tigers tacked on four more runs in the sixth to pick up the double-digit run victory. Rhoden led the way with his four RBIs and Kai Hudson drew a game-high three walks. Cerezo was credited with the victory.

The trip began with a tough 13-10 loss to Embry-Riddle. After falling behind 13-0 by the end of the sixth inning, ONU scored 10 unanswered across the final three frames but couldn't get enough in to complete the comeback. Jack Dupuis was a perfect 5-for-5 at the dish with two RBIs and a home run. Yelle plated three RBIs and Rhoden added two with a two-run shot. Thomas Plizga was tagged with the loss.

The Tigers were unable duplicate the magic in their second game Thursday, falling in an early hole that they couldn't climb out of the 16-3 loss to ACU. All three of ONU's runs came off a Dupuis three-run homer in the fifth inning. The loss was given to Joey Boland.

Early runs again plagued the Tigers in the finale, falling behind 5-0 to Benedictine by the end of the fourth inning. Hudson got ONU on the board with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning that brought in Joeseph Jiminez, and Evan Pogioli scampered home on an error in the eighth, but that was all the Tigers could get across in the 7-2 loss.

The Tigers will continue the young season with a doubleheader at Point University Friday in West Point, Ga. The opener is set to begin at 1 p.m. CST.

--ONU—

*Contact: Evan Wild, Sports Information Director, ewwild@olivet.edu