The Lourdes university baseball team got an outstanding performance on the mound from Zach Brown (Oregon, Ohio/Clay) as it edged Siena Heights 2-1 on the road in a Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference matchup on Monday evening.
 
"This was a great game for us," stated head coach Jeremy Snow following the victory. I think we had a few opportunities offensively but just couldn't quite capitalize. I'm proud of the way these guys continue to fight and compete. We needed to come out strong in this series and win this first game. We are in the home stretch of the conference season and every game is important."
 
Both team got on the board early, prior to a defensive battle throughout the majority of the contest. With Jay Denman (Toledo, Ohio/Saint Francis de Sales) on base, Brad Ammons (Holland, Ohio/Springfield) hit an RBI single up the middle the give Lourdes an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first.
 
Siena Heights (17-16, 7-6 WHAC) brought the score back to even with an RBI single in the bottom half of the first inning, knotting the score at 1-1.
 
Noah Childress (Toledo, Ohio/Start) earned an RBI in the top of the fifth inning, plating the go-ahead run with a bases loaded walk as Michael Davis (Whittier, Calif./California) crossed home plate to push the lead to 2-1.
 
Brown struck out three batters in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings and got help from his defense to hold the Saints scoreless. Brown would slam the door in the bottom half of the ninth frame, striking out the first three Saints batters in the lineup to seal to 2-1 victory.
 
Brown tossed a complete game, striking out a career-best 11 batters, while only allowing four hits.
 
"I think Zach had a really great game," Snow continued. "After the first three innings he was kind of able to cruise and get into a nice groove."
 
Offensively, Ammons went 2-for-4 with an RBI, while George Pastor (Walled Lake, Mich./Central), Cameron Gallo (Mason, Ohio/Bishop Fenwick) and Colin Gottschalk (Walled Lake, Mich./Central) each added hits.
 
Lourdes returns to the SHU Baseball Diamond tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. to play the second game of the two-game series in Adrian, Michigan.