The Florida Memorial University baseball team began the 2022 season in West Palm Beach, Florida with a 9-6 win against the eighth-ranked Keiser Seahawks to start the season on a high note.
The Seahawks came into the game as the nation’s No. 8 ranked team in the NAIA Top 25 Coaches Poll.
Florida Memorial opened the game plating an unearned run in the second inning for a 1-0 lead. They would push across two runs in the fourth inning, taking the lead, 3-0 on Fernando Vila’s two-run home run. The Lions later scored two more runs in the fifth inning on a Nathan Harris home run to left field extending the lead to 5-0. Keiser scored three runs in the fifth inning cutting the deficit to 5-3.
In the top of the six inning, Florida Memorial’s Rohandry Javier singled to score shortstop Joseph Figueroa for a 6-3 lead. FMU would add another run in the seventh inning. Axel Gomez singled to right field, scoring Yunior Sanchez to make it 7-3. In the eight, Ulises Rodriguez’ sacrifice fly brought home Joseph Figueroa for an 8-3 lead. Keiser would get a run back in the bottom of the eighth, Florida Memorial still clinking on to an 8-4 lead.
The Lions added one in the top of the ninth inning, but Keiser made the game interesting. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Tim Bouchard doubled to center field off of Lions reliever Giananthony Didomizzo scoring two runs. But it was not enough as Florida Memorial won its first game of the season.
Florida Memorial’s 9-6 win was its first against the Seahawks since the 2019 season. Their last win was on March 29, 2019, a 3-1 victory. The win also erased FMU’s ten game losing streak to Keiser.
At the plate, the Lions collected eight hits, two of which were home runs. Alex Gomez was two for four with two runs batted in. Nathan Harris had a two-run home run, and Fernandez Vila went one for three with a two-run blast of his own over the left field wall. Both Harris and Villa each finished with two runs batted in.
In the win, Florida Memorial (1-0) used five different pitchers in the game. Max Charnin got the start for the Lions and pitched two innings allowing no runs. He walked four batters, but fanned three. Juan Hernandez threw two innings of shutout ball and recorded a strikeout. Joselito Baez went two innings on the hill and gave up two hits, allowed one run and struck out two. Fernandez Vila did not last an inning and allowed one hit and two runs while Giananthony Didomizzio gave up three runs pitching out of a Keiser ninth-inning threat for the save.