Green Homers, but Cougars Lose 7-6

SIUE and Notre Dame battled in a back-and-forth contest Friday. In the end it was the Fighting Irish who earned a come-from-behind 7-6 win on the opening day of baseball season.

"We played a little nervous the first four or five innings today," SIUE Head Coach Tony Stoecklin said. "After that we settled down and started playing ball."

An uncharacteristically rocky first inning for SIUE starter Ryan Daniels allowed Notre Dame to take an early lead. The first three batters reached thanks to a walk and two hit batters. A pickoff by Cougar catcher Parker Guinn at first base, and a flyout made it two on, two out when RBI singles by the Irish's Robert Youngdahl and Lane Richards made it 2-0. Daniels tossed three innings allowing the two runs on three hits. He struck out one.

"He's battling command all spring so far," Stoecklin said of Daniels. "He's putting a little too much pressure on himself to be perfect instead of just controlling what he can control."

Effingham High School graduate Chase Green's first homer of the year with one out in the second got the Cougars on the board and made it 2-1. Green ended up with two hits.