GRANGER, Ind. – IU South Bend opened the home baseball season with clear skies and warm weather, but the visitors would take the victory, as the Titans were shut out by Saint Xavier, 5-0 at Rex Weade Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
A solid outing from starting pitcher Alex Babbitt saw 5.2 innings with five hits and two earned runs allowed, while recording five strikeouts on the day. The Cougars (17-3, 1-0 CCAC) pushed across runs in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings to hang a tough loss on the sophomore.
The Titans (6-11, 0-1 CCAC) had opportunities at the plate, most notably in the bottom of the 6th and 7th innings. A Tony Reyes’ single and Nolan Unger reaching base with a hit by pitch gave IUSB two on with no outs in the 6th inning, but a runner was picked off before a pair of line outs to short ended the threat.
In the bottom of the 7th trailing Saint Xavier 4-0, base hits from Brett Sikorski and Hunter Bedell, followed by a Kole Miller sacrifice bunt placed two Titans in scoring position. Colin Mack was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs, but another pickoff play would end the inning and leave the Titans empty-handed.
Bedell finished 2-for-4 to lead the IUSB hitters, while Miller recorded the team’s lone extra-base hit with a double in the 3rd inning. Kage Haeck pitched 2.2 innings of relief, striking out three with one earned run allowed.
The Titans head back to the Rex on Friday, when they host Trinity International for the first of a three-game weekend series, with Saturday’s doubleheader scheduled to be played on the road. First pitch against the Trojans on Friday is set for 3:00 p.m.