Photo courtesy of Tom Grason/GGC Athletics

Lourdes opened Saturday with a 5-4 victory in 10 innings against Clarke before falling 24-2 to seventh-ranked Georgia Gwinnett at the Grizzly Baseball Complex in Lawrenceville, Ga.
 
The opener against Clarke was a pitcher's duel until the 10^th inning.  Wyatt Smith (Sycamore, Ohio/Wynford H.S.) allowed just one run and three hits over six innings while striking out six and Brenden Holland (Riga, Mich./Blissfield H.S.) tossed two scoreless innings, striking out a pair.  Johnny Blake answered for the Pride with seven innings of three-hit, one-run baseball, striking out five.
 
Clarke (7-5) plated a run in the second on a squeeze bunt and held the 1-0 lead until the bottom of the seventh of the game slated for seven innings.  Hunter Mix (Swanton, Ohio/Swanton H.S.) led off with a triple and pinch-runner Nick DiGennaro (Oakville, Ont./St. Ignatius of Loyola H.S.) tied the game, scampering home on a wild pitch.
 
The game remained tied until the 10^th when Clarke scored three times in the top of the inning.  Lourdes responded with two outs as Harrison Jackson (Millbury, Ohio/Lake H.S.) doubled home a run and scored on a two-bagger by Josh Hare (Simcoe, Ont./Holy Trinity H.S.).  Pinch-runner Nick Zito (Saint Petersburg, Fla./Sport Leadership and Management Academy tied the game, scoring on a wild pitch before Mix singled in the game-winning run.
 
Mix and Joel Suraganan (Pickerington, Ont./Dunbarton H.S.) each had two hits as Lourdes tallied seven for the game.  Avery Harper (Cardington, Ohio/Cardington-Lincoln H.S.) earned the win (1-0) in relief.
 
"The pitchers were great for both teams today," head coach Josh Bradford said following the opener.  "We could not get anything going against their guy.  Our guys kept us in it the whole way.  We didn't execute our situational hitting very well at all.  Then, in extra innings, our offense was able to break through and get some clutch hits to finish the game."
 
Against the Grizzlies in the evening contest, Georgia Gwinnett scored seven in the opening inning to jump in front.  Lourdes answered with a pair in the second on RBI singles by Michael Strzelewicz (Temperance, Mich./Saint Mary's Catholic Central H.S.) and Ryan Jagodzinski (Perrysburg, Ohio/Rossford H.S.).
 
Georgia Gwinnett plated six more in the second and fourth innings and four in the sixth on the way to the win, hitting three home runs in the contest.
 
Strzelewicz and Jagodzinski each had two-hit games for the Gray Wolves as part of a seven-hit offensive night while the Grizzlies banged out 22 hits in the contest.
 
Joey Oehlers (Lambertville, Mich./Bedford H.S.) started and took the loss (0-2) for the Gray Wolves, allowing seven runs, five earned, and six hits in 0.1 innings on the hill.
 
Lourdes (2-4) and Georgia Gwinnett (16-2) will return to the diamond on Sunday afternoon for a 1 p.m. first pitch.