A new era began for the Lincoln University baseball team on Saturday as they played their first ever East Coast Conference (ECC) contests, hosting the LIU-Post Pioneers at Lions Field.  The Pioneers offense exploded late in the opener and carried into the second game as they defeated the Lions 28-3 and 18-2.
 
Lincoln falls to 1-14 overall and 0-2 in league play while the Pioneers improve to 11-9 and 2-0 in ECC contests.
 
Aiden Gomes (Bronx, N.Y./LaSalle Academy) had a double in the opener and added a home run in the second game.  Jordan Rorer (Cheltenham, Pa./Cheltenham) had a hit in each contest while Jalil Banks (Lynwood, Ill./Thornton Fractional South) added two hits in the second game. 
Carlos Nieves (Isabela, P.R./Puerto Rico Baseball Academy) got his first collegiate hit in game two and Jordan Whisler (Parkesburg, Pa./Octorara Area) had a triple in game one.
 
Ronald Gibbs (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Loughlin) (1-3) took the loss in the opener, tossing three innings allowing six runs on five hits with five strikeouts.  Whisler (0-3) took  the loss in game two, giving up two runs in one inning pitched.
 
The Lions opened the scoring on the afternoon with a run in the first inning.  Jordan Rorer (Cheltenham, Pa./Cheltenham) led off with a single, stole second and came around to score on Malcolm Smith's (Los Angeles, Calif./Susan Miller Dorsey) single through the left side, giving the Lions the early 1-0 lead.
 
The Pioneers came back with two runs in the second inning, taking advantage of three straight walks by Gibbs before Giovanni Ciaccio singled to score two base runners.  LIU-Post added four more runs in the third to take a 6-1 lead before the Lions struck again in the fifth.
 
Jordan Whisler (Parkesburg, Pa./Octorara Area) drove a long fly ball that was just over the Pioneer's centerfielder's head to start off the fifth inning with a triple.  Rorer then lifted a one-out sacrifice fly to right field to bring him home, closing the gap to 6-2.
 
LIU-Post scored two more runs in the sixth before exploding for 20 total runs in their final two at-bats, taking advantage of the LU errors in the eighth inning and getting a grand slam home run from Mike Manzione in the ninth inning.
 
Lincoln scored their final run in the ninth inning as Max Guadalupe (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bluefield College) singled with one out and came around to score two batters later on a single from Grant Lindsay.
 
David Brehm has four hits and four RBI for the Pioneers in the opener while Ciaccio drove in four run and Anthony Vaglica had two hits and five RBI.  James Varela earned the win, pitching seven innings and allowing five hits and striking out 12.
 
The Pioneers struck first in game two, getting two runs on four hits off Whisler in the opening inning.  Gomes hit a solo shot in the bottom half of the first inning to make the score 2-1 where it remained until he third inning.
 
A ten-run third inning by the Pioneers followed by a six run fifth inning put the game firmly in LIU-Post's hands with an 18-1 lead.   Andy Camilo drove in four runs in the third inning with a two-run home run and a two-run double while Ciaccio hit a three-run home run in the  third to highlight the Pioneers' scoring.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, Carvonte Williams reached on an infield error and later scored on Jason Aldred's (Clinton, Md./Henry A. Wise ) infield groundout to round out the scoring.
 
Noah Lorenzop picked up the win for the Pioneers, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out ten.  Camilo had three hits and five RBI while Michael Greene and Reynaldo Guillen had three hits apiece.
 
Lincoln and LIU-Post are back in action again on Sunday, March 24, 2019 for another doubleheader at Lions Field.  First pitch is set for 12:00 p.m.