DEMOREST, Ga. - The Adrian College baseball team began the 2012 season on Sunday, Feb. 26 with an 8-7 win over Blackburn College at Loudermilk Field on the campus of Piedmont College. The Bulldogs trailed 4-0 heading into the bottom of the second where they scored four times to tie the game at 4-4.

Michael Herzog drew a one-out walk and Kyle Strawn doubled to begin the rally. Jamey Sackett drew a walk to load the bases and setup a Mitch Sroka two-run single. Sam Fischer followed with a sacrifice fly to left scoring Sackett to cut the lead to 4-3. Cody Meyer then tied the game on an RBI single scoring Sroka.

The Bulldogs took a 6-4 lead in the bottom of the fourth as Fischer led off with a single and scored on Andrew DeLuca's RBI double. Meyer followed with a single to score DeLuca. Strawn tripled to start the bottom of the fifth but was stranded after a walk, double play ground out and fly out to center.

Blackburn tied the game at 6-6 with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh. Vinnie Birk led off with a single and scored on Donny Fuhrhop's RBI triple off reliever Craig Steadman. Steadman did a great job in relief of starter Josh Burd. Steadman went six innings and allowed four hits and two earned runs while striking out a career-high 10 batters. Tyler Fauver followed the triple with an RBI groundout for the Beavers who fell to 0-3 overall.

Adrian scored twice in the bottom of the eighth to take an 8-6 lead. Fischer hit a ground-rule double and with two outs Meyer doubled scoring Fischer and Mitch Stefanski singled home Meyer to give AC a two-run cushion. Sean Hartman faced Blackburn in the top of the ninth and gave up a run. The Beavers had the tying run on second base but grounded into a double play to end the game.

Hartman (1-0) got the win going 1.1 relief innings and allowing no earned runs with a strikeout. Fauver took the loss with four relief innings allowing two earned runs. Adrian stranded eight runners on base and committed just one error in the game. Meyer led the offense in the two-hole going 3-for-5 with three RBI. Sroka went 1-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs. Fischer finished 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored and an RBI in the nine-hole.

The Bulldogs continue their spring trip tomorrow at 11 AM against seventh-ranked Christopher Newport again at Loudermilk Field.