WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Marymount University baseball team opened the 2021 season with a split against Washington College (Md.) at Nats Youth Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Game 1

The Saints bats came out hot in the first game of the new season, as MU posted eight runs on 10 hits to claim the first half of the doubleheader by an 8-1 margin.

Junior Bryce Smith did the majority of the damage with one swing of the bat in the bottom of the third inning, as he walloped a grand slam over the wall to give MU a 4-1 advantage. Marymount struck again in the next inning, as Bobby Leitzel scored Jordan Dickson on a grounder to make it 5-1.

The game broke open in the very next at-bat as the reigning VaSID Player of the Year, Bill Wojcik, dug in at the dish and blasted a homer over the left-field fence to push the Blue and White's lead to 7-1.

Dickson was responsible for the Saints' final run of the game in the bottom of the sixth. With three men on-base, the sophomore laced a single into left field that plated Casey Baker to give the game its final scoreline.

Senior Drew Mead got the start on the mound and tossed five solid innings. Mead fanned six and only allowed four hits to pick up the victory. Rookie Jake Andrews made the first appearance of his career in relief of Mead and picked up the save with four strikeouts across two innings of work in the seven-inning affair.

Game 2

The Shoremen bounced back in the second game, as the Saints were unable to match the visitors' offense. Washington scratched six runs across during the first two innings, which proved to be too large of a deficit for the Saints to overcome.

John Grill proved to be a tough opponent for MU's lineup. The Washington lefty tossed five innings and only allowed the Saints to put one run up on the board.

Following the early barrage by the visitors, Marymount's pitchers settled in and gave up just two runs across the rest of the contest. Ryan Bergenhagen entered the game in the fifth inning and fanned three across three innings of work to keep Washington at bay. 

Alex Lemery paced the offense with a pair of hits to finish 2-for-3 at the dish. Casey Baker, Jimmy Baker, and Ryan Maylie all posted one RBI.

The Saints return to action on Saturday, March 13, when they hit the road for a pair of games against St. Mary's College (Md). Opening pitch is scheduled for noon.