Soggy start
Falcons drop opener in Kentucky
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WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. - Notre Dame Baseball swung into action Friday afternoon in Williamsburg, Ky. The Falcons played through soggy, 48-degree conditions in dropping a 12-5 decision to the University of the Cumberlands. Notre Dame (0-1) played the Patriots (5-2) toe-to-toe over the first five frames. Then, with the score tied at five, Cumberlands erupted for seven unanswered runs over the sixth, seventh, and eighth, to ice the game.

Starter Chris Balmert (Sr/Lakewood, OH) cruised through the first four innings against Cumberlands, who went 35-19 a year ago. In the fifth, however, he was touched up for four runs. NDC answered in the top of the sixth with three runs of their own, to tie the score, 5-5. The NDC bullpen yielded seven runs after that.

John Silverman (Sr/Kettering, OH) and Brandon Williams (So/Ashland, KY) combined to allow just two earned runs for the Patriots. They walked one while striking out nine.

Notre Dame started the scoring in the second when a Brett Zientarski (Vermilion, OH) single plated a run. Cumberlands tallied a single run in their half of the second.

In the fourth, NDC took a 2-1 lead when another Zientarski single brought in Joe Young (Jr/Pittsburgh, PA), who was a courtesy runner for catcher Josh Bieneman (Sr/Baltimore, MD). Bieneman had banged a one-out double into right field.

Balmert took that 2-1 lead into the fifth. After yielding just one hit through the first four frames, the Falcons' right-hander yielded two singles, a double, and a home run to the next five batters he faced. That put the Patriots seemingly in control, 5-2.

Notre Dame, however, came back with a three-spot in the top of the next inning (sixth) to even the score, 5-5. Silverman plunked three consecutive batters to start the inning and all three scored. Silverman hit four batters in the game.

In the bottom-half of the sixth an NDC error plated a Patriot run. That gave Cumberlands a 6-5 lead. An inning later, the Patriots strung together four hits, a walk, and three stolen bases to hang a three in the frame and take a 9-5 lead. They added three insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth to round out the scoring, 12-5.

Offensively, Josh Bieneman and first baseman Brett Zientarski led the Blue & Gold. Bieneman went 2-for-4 with a double. Zientarski went 2-for-3 and collected a pair of runs batted in.

Left fielder Trevor Urbanick (Sr/Conneautville, PA) and second baseman Drew Denton (Jr/Hendersonville, TN) led the way for the Patriots. Urbanick reached base three times (two hits, one walk) and had a double; Denton went 1-for-2 with a home run, two walks, and two steals.

For the game, Cumberlands had 12 hits and five walks. NDC collected 10 and one. The Patriots outslugged the Falcons, 19 total bases to 11. Each team committed three errors.

The game marked the opener of NDC's season and of a four-game set between the Falcons and Patriots. The two clubs are slated to square off again Saturday, in a doubleheader beginning at noon.

NOTES FROM THE NEST...

HI-HO, SILVER: The Falcons faced senior hurler John Silverman Friday, a tall order for a season-opener. Silverman earned a 3.85 ERA in 36-1/3 innings a year ago, striking out 23 batters while walking just seven. In the early going this season, the 6-foot-5 Kettering, Ohio product sports a 2.21 ERA with 11 punchouts in 12-2/3 innings. On Friday, Silverman tossed 5-1/3, giving up two earned runs and striking out five.

PATRIOT GAMES: 2008 marks the third straight season the Falcons have opened with the U-of-the-C Patriots. NDC is now 1-6 all-time against Cumberlands, their lone victory coming in the second game of last year's series.