Chargers lose a pair to Pace University to open their season

For the first time in 689 days, the Chargers Baseball team got to return to their home field and play again. After having their 2020 season cut short because of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last March, the Chargers took the field on Sunday afternoon for a doubleheader against Pace University. The Chargers would drop both games of the doubleheader.

Excitement filled the air on the beautiful Sunday afternoon as both teams were fired up to play the game that they love for the first time in the young season. The Chargers and Setters would both go down 1-2-3 in the first but Pace University scored often the rest of the way; three runs in the third, one in the fourth and another three in the fifth inning.

The Chargers would finally answer back in the bottom of the fifth with two runs after sophomore and Charger Bulletin staff writer Tyler Wells knocked a ground ball up the middle to cut the deficit to 7-2. The Chargers would only score once more in the remaining four innings and would drop the first game 9-3.

The Chargers looked to change the tide in the second game after allowing 18 hits to the Setters in game one. Junior right-hander Thomas Eletto got the start for the Chargers in game two. Eletto got the Setters to go down in 1-2-3 in the top of the first, eventually closing out his day throwing four scoreless innings, giving up only three hits.

The Chargers would strike first scoring three runs in the bottom of the third inning with a runner batted in groundout by freshman Jack Reardon and an error by the first baseman on Pace after junior Noah Budzik put the ball in play making it 3-0. That score would stay the same until the top of the sixth inning when the Chargers infield made a few errors to go with a wild pitch that would allow the Setters to score three runs and tie the game.

The game went to extra innings with Pace breaking the game open in the top of the eighth inning by scoring four runs and winning by a score of 7-3. It is not the start the Chargers were looking for to start their season but there are plenty of games left.

The Chargers will have to wait until next weekend to try for their first win of the season as they will host Le Moyne in a Saturday-Sunday doubleheader at Frank Vieira Field. First pitch on both days is set for 12:00 p.m.