(March 1, 2010 - Auburndale, Florida) -- Alex Reuter and Aaron Ball had sterling debuts for the Concordia baseball team as the dup knocked out eight hits between them as the Cardinals gained a split with William Penn University on Monday afternoon. An ugly first-game featuring numerous mental and physical errors cost the Cards a victory, but the team rallied in the finale to earn their first win of the season. Reuter (So. - Brighton, Mich.) had four hits in six at-bats on the day, while Ball (Fr. - Warren, Mich.) had a quartet of hits in seven at-bats, including his first collegiate triple. Both knocked in a pair of runs.

Neither team did much offensively in the opener until the third when the Statesmen put up three unearned tallies on starting pitcher Brent McNeil (Sr. - Springboro, Ohio).

Concordia responded with a half-dozen runs in the fourth as Zach Paustian (Jr. - Rock Island, Ill.) lead off with a walk and moved to second on a Zach Johnston (Sr. - Ionia, Mich.) single. With one out, Frank Persichino (Sr. - Sterling Heights, Mich.) singled to score Paustian and move Johnston to third. Deke Knuth (Jr. - St. Joseph, Mich.) singled to pull the Cards to within a run as Johnston scored. Ball picked up his first collegiate hit and RBI as Persichino scored and the game was tied at 3-3. Reuter followed suit with his first hit as a Cardinal scoring Knuth and Concordia had their first lead of 2010.

A Steve Bayoff (Jr. - Wixom, Mich.) single scored both Ball and Kevin Krysiak (So. - Madison Heights, Mich.), who was running for Reuter, to end the scoring for Concordia.

William Penn scratched out a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth, but again Concordia answered in the next frame.

Knuth lead off with his first home run as a Cardinal with Ball reaching next on an error by the third baseman. After Reuter moved Ball into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, a two-out balk moved him to third. Zane Johnston (Sr. - Ionia, Mich.) picked up a walk and Paustian delivered a two-out single to score Ball giving the Cards an 8-5 lead.

But errors came back to haunt Concordia as a physical miscue and a mental blunder allowed the Statesmen to score two unearned runs in the bottom half and the game was an 8-7 affair heading to the final frame.

After Concordia failed to score, William Penn scored two runs in the bottom half off of closer Denver Straub (Jr. - Milan, Mich.) to win the game 9-8. Straub picked up the loss to fall to 0-1 to start the campaign.

The Cardinals didn't let the defeat haunt them further as they bounced back and survived a single bad inning for starter Matt St. Kitts (So. - Pickering, Ont.) to get their first win of the season.

Zane Johnston lead off the bottom of the first with a single, with Paustian picking up a walk. Both runners advanced on Zach Johnston's single, scoring brother Zane. A Tony Pounders (Sr. - Livonia, Mich.) single scored Paustian and after Persichino was hit by a pitch the bases were loaded with no outs. Knuth grounded into a double play, scoring Zach Johnston before William Penn got out of the inning with a Ball groundout.

Up 3-0 heading into the bottom of the second, Reuter singled to open the frame with Krysiak running for the catcher. With two outs, Paustian single and Zach Johnston walked to load the bases. An error by the Statesmen shortstop allowed Pounders to reach and Krysiak and Paustian to score.

The top of the third was unkind to St. Kitts as he didn't retire a batter allowing the first six batters to reach via a hit before being replaced by Tim Shafto (Sr. - Oxford, Mich.). Shafto walked and hit a batter, but was able to limit the overall damage with William Penn taking the lead at 7-5.

Concordia responded with a single run in the bottom of the third as Ball and Reuter both singled and Bayoff walked to load the bases with one out. Zane Johnston hit a sacrifice fly to pull Concordia within a run at 7-6 as Ball scored on the play.

Despite three one-out walks in the top of the fourth, Shafto was able to entice a inning-ending double-play to get out of the jam keeping the game close.

The Cards picked up a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame as Pounders singled and then moved to second on a Knuth groundout to third. With two-outs Ball drilled a triple to center scoring Pounders to knot the game at 7-7. Reuter picked up a big single to regain the lead for Concordia at 8-7 with Ball crossing the plate.

The rally made Shafto the pitcher of record with Nick Rober (Jr. - Ann Arbor, Mich.) coming on in the top of the fifth on the hill.

Concordia would add a run in the bottom of the fifth giving the Cards a two-run cushion. Zane Johnston singled and moved to second on a Paustian sacrifice. With two outs, Pounders ripped a single down the third base line scoring Johnston and putting Concordia up 9-7.

Rober would throw the final three innings, allowing three hits and a walk with two strikeouts as he held the Statesmen in check to pick up his first collegiate save with Shafto getting the win.

Concordia (1-1) will play a double tilt against Point Park University Tuesday afternoon at Lake Myrtle Complex in Auburndale, Florida. Brad Roettger (Jr. - Sterling Heights, Mich.) and Ryan Noack (So. - Hamilton, Ont.) will get the calls on the bump for the Cardinals.