BEREA, Ky.  - Joey Appino, a freshman center fielder from Loves Park, Ill, went 3-for-5 with a triple and drove in a run in making his collegiate debut but the Carroll University baseball team lost to Berea College 12-8 in a season-opening nonconference game Friday.
It was the first of a three-game road series for Carroll, which finished with 12 hits in making its 2023 debut.
The Pioneers started fast by collecting the first run of the game in the top of the first inning on an RBI single from Justin Baker, who returned to the starting lineup for the first time since being lost to injury at midseason last year.
Carroll extended the lead to 3-0 in the second as Appino delivered a run-scoring single and Casey Mir followed with an RBI sacrifice fly out to center field. The Pioneers increased the lead with a single run in the fourth, a run-scoring single to right field by Baker.
Berea, which finished with 14 hits (including two homers and four doubles), trimmed the deficit to 4-2 in the fourth on a two-run home run.
Carroll extended the lead to 5-2 in the fifth on an RBI sacrifice fly to left field by Trevor Benz.
Berea answered with eight runs on eight hits in what proved to be a decisive bottom of the fifth to claim a 10-5 lead.
Carroll cut the deficit to 10-7 in the sixth on a clutch two-run single from Ben Hurt Haller (also making his college debut) and scored its final run in the seventh on an RBI groundout by Mir.
Berea scored twice in the seventh to help ensure a victory.
The Pioneers loaded the bases in the eighth but the potential game-changing rally fell short as the result of an inning-ending strikeout.
Baker and Hurt Haller each contributed two hits for the Pioneers, who stranded 13 baserunners. Eli Syverson added the other extra-base hit, a one-out double to left-center field in the second.
Brett Buzzelli, a junior right-hander, started the game for Carroll, yielding seven earned runs on six hits through four complete innings.
Daniel Kalinowski took the pitching loss, allowing five runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and one walk through 2 2/3 innings of work.
Carroll was leading 7-4 through four innings in the second game of the doubleheader before play was suspended for the night. Play will resume Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. (EST) followed by the series finale.