Lourdes began the Josh Bradford era on a high note Saturday, as the Gray Wolves swept Rio Grande 8-1 and 15-1 at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio to open the 2020 season.
 
Harrison Jackson (Millbury, Ohio/Lake H.S.) hit for the cycle in the opener, his collegiate debut, finishing the day 7-for-9 with four runs scored and three runs batted in.  Glen Crabtree (Medina, Ohio/Black River H.S.) also had seven hits on the day, including four in game one, and drove home seven runs.
 
"Jackson was on base all day for us and Crabtree came through with some big hits," Bradford stated afterwards.  "We had some huge two-out hits all day long."
 
Lourdes started quickly in game one, scoring in each of the first three innings.  An unearned run in the top of the fifth made it 4-0 Gray Wolves before the Red Storm got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the inning.  Jackson homered to lead off the sixth, and Crabtree added a two-run shot later in the frame to push the advantage to 7-1.
 
That would be all the offense that Braxton McKart (Monroe, Mich./Monroe H.S.) would need, as he tossed a solid six innings on the hill to earn the win (1-0).  He struck out four and walked just two while scattering five hits.  McKart threw just 72 pitches in his six innings of work.
 
"Braxton was awesome," Bradford added.  "He threw strikes all day."
 
Jackson singled to complete his cycle in the top of the seventh for the Gray Wolves' final run.  Lourdes banged out 13 hits in the opener, with Cameron Gallo (Medina, Ohio/Bishop Fenwick H.S.) and Jay Denman (Toledo, Ohio/Saint Francis de Sales H.S.) each adding two hits as well.
 
Harrison Gargus (South Haven, Mich./South Haven H.S.) tossed two scoreless innings of relief before Jake Tucker (Tucson, Ariz./Canyon Del Oro H.S.) retired the side in order to give the Gray Wolves their third consecutive season-opening victory.
 
Trey Carter suffered the loss (0-2) for Rio Grande, allowing three runs and eight hits in three innings on the hill.  Cole Dyer led the Red Storm's seven-hit attack with three singles.
 
Game two became a slugfest, with the Gray Wolves scoring in all seven innings.  Both teams plated two runs in the first and another in the second.  Zack Mon (Columbus, Ohio/Westland H.S.) put Lourdes on top with a RBI single in the third and another run crossed the plate on a double plate, making it 5-3 Gray Wolves.
 
Lourdes added an unearned run in the top of the fourth before the Red Storm pulled within one with a pair of tallies in the bottom of the frame.
 
The Gray Wolves broke the game open in the fifth, sending 10 batters to the plate and scoring six times.  Brad Ammons (Holland, Ohio/Springfield H.S.) delivered a bases loaded double that scored three for the big hit.
 
Two more runs crossed the plate in the sixth and the Gray Wolves added an unearned run in the seventh to take a 15-6 lead.  Rio Grande rallied though in the bottom of the inning, scoring five times, and left two more runners on base when Kyle Sacher (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton H.S.) came on to retire the final batter for his first save of the year.
 
Max Lojko (Barrie, Ont./ESC Nouvelle-Alliance H.S.) entered the game in the third and tossed two innings of relief to earn the win (1-0).  Cody Gabriel suffered the loss (0-3) for Rio Grande, allowing five runs in the first two plus innings of work.
 
Jackson and Crabtree both had three-hit games in the nightcap while Ammons and Reilly Walters (Bowmanville, Ont./Bowmanville H.S.) had two hits each.  Ammons also drove home four runs.
 
Lourdes (2-0) and Rio Grande (0-9) will wrap up their four-game weekend series on Sunday afternoon with another doubleheader.  First pitch is set for noon in Chillicothe.