Lourdes took to the diamond for the first time this spring on Saturday afternoon, dropping both ends of a doubleheader to Tennessee Southern at Bobby Walker Field in Pulaski, Tenn.  The Firehawks won the opener 5-4 in eight innings before taking game two 7-1.
 
In game one we missed out on a couple of opportunities to tack on runs in the middle innings," head coach Josh Bradford said afterwards.  "We still put ourselves in a position to win going into the bottom of the seventh.  We just were not able to close it out.  In game two, the pitchers for UTS threw well and we weren't able to string anything together."
 
The Gray Wolves scored single runs in each of the first four innings while Tennessee Southern plated a pair in the bottom of the second.  Brad Ammons (Holland, Ohio/Springfield H.S.) led off the game with a single and scored one batter later on Gabe Scott's (Curtis, Ohio/Genoa H.S.) RBI double.  In the second, a groundout plated a run before a pair of runs aided Lourdes with another tally in the third.  Steve Haugh (Waterville, Ohio/Anthony Wayne H.S.) delivered a RBI single in the fourth to make it 4-2 Lourdes.
 
Wyatt Smith (Sycamore, Ohio/Wynford H.S.) went five strong innings on the hill, allowing just two runs on seven hits while fanning four.  He left with a lead that the Gray Wolves took into the bottom of the seventh.
 
The Firehawks tied the game on a two-run single with two outs before winning the game in the eighth with a game-winning hit with one out.
 
Drew Bailey earned the win (1-0) with three innings of scoreless and hitless relief for Tennessee Southern, striking out five.  Jake Boyd (West Jefferson, Ohio/West Jefferson H.S.) suffered the loss (1-1) coming out of the bullpen.
 
In game two, the Firehawks took the lead with a run in the second before Lourdes knotted the contest at one in the third.  Carson Barker (Alliston, Ont./Banting Memorial H.S.) delivered a sacrifice fly to play Josh Hare (Simcoe, Ont./Holy Trinity H.S.), who doubled to lead off the inning.
 
Tennessee Southern retook the lead in the third before adding three more in the fourth and single runs in the fifth and sixth to pull away with the win.
 
Logan Parrott went five innings to earn the win (1-0), striking out seven while yielding just three hits for the Firehawks.  Caleb Loboschefski (Maumee, Ohio/Maumee H.S.) suffered the loss (0-1), allowing five runs on nine hits while striking out five in 3.1 innings of work.
 
Hare had two of the Gray Wolves' three hits in the nightcap.
 
Lourdes (4-2) and Tennessee Southern (2-5) will wrap up their four-game weekend series on Sunday afternoon with another twinbill at Bobby Walker Field.  First pitch in game one is set for 2 p.m. EST.