By Taylor Chitwood, Sports Info. Student Assistant

FERRUM, Virginia -- The Ferrum College baseball team opened it's season with a win in the first game of a two game series over Christopher Newport Saturday afternoon at Panther Field, 8-7. Carlton Redd (1-0) earned the win for the Panthers out of the pen as the Captains starter Josh Husby (0-1) took the loss.

RECORDS
Ferrum (1-0)
Christopher Newport (0-1)

THE BASICS
The Captains jumped out to the early three-run lead as Ferrum struggled in the field as all three CNU runs were unearned in the frame. Alec Reilly squared up a ball through the middle of the infield to bring home two Captains and make it a 3-0 game. The Panthers would not answer back until the home half of the third. Grey Sherfey singled to right field bringing home Conner Dopp, and Ferrum would cut the defecit to two. Tim Ortega would come up later in the inning and ground out to the second baseman, but Isaac Yeaman would score on the play. Josh Greenway would cap off the big Panther 3rd with a 2-RBI single up the middle as Darden Eure-Parrish and Sherfey would come around to score.

The Panthers would turn to the bullpen to start the fourth when Carlton Redd would come on to relieve the Ferrum starter Drew Calohan. The Captains would scratch a run back in the top of the 4th from a Christopher Clark single, but Ferrum would again answer right back with a Yeaman homerun, the first of his collegiate career in his first career game, over the left field fence. Sherfey would extend the Panther lead in the top of the 6th with an RBI single, bringing home Dopp, and that was all the Panthers would need.

CNU would try to get back in this one in the 7th, bringing the deficit back down to just a run when Eric Lingebach would ground into a fielder's choice, scoring Reilly. Sherfey would again answer the call in the home half of the inning, roping a 2-RBI single up into center field as Sebastian Dexter and Greg White would score on the play. The 8-5 score line would stick until the Captains would be down to their last out. Michael Martorano and Brayden Hodges would hit back-to-back doubles to make it a one-run game, but Sam McLaughlin would shut the door and get out of it with a ground out to Dopp to pick up his first save on the year.

KEY STATS
Ferrum: Sherfey 4-5, 4 RBI; Greenway 2-5, 2 RBI; Dopp 2-5, 2 R; Yeaman 2-4, HR
CNU: O'Brien 1-4, 2 R; Reilly 1-1, 2 RBI, 2 R, 4 BB

BEHIND THE WHISTLE
"We didn't play clean baseball today but we were great at the most important thing, winning. I'm proud of our guys and really good early season win against a quality opponent." --Head Coach Ryan Brittle

UP NEXT
Coach Ryan Brittle's team will back back in action Sunday, Feb 9 for the series finale against CNU. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.