Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 (Peru, Neb.)—The Bobcats baseball season got underway this past weekend against Friends in Wichita, Kansas, for a three-game series. Here is a complete recap of the three-game series against the Falcons.
 
Game 1
 
On January 28, the Friends Falcons defeated the Peru State Bobcats 13-4 on opening day for 2022 for both teams. Friends improves to 1-0 on the season while Peru State falls to 0-1.
 
In the first inning the Bobcats went three-up three-down and in the bottom of the first inning the Falcons bats were hot. As a triple would send in two Falcons to make the score 2-0.
 
Later in the bottom of the first the Falcons tripled again and the next at-bat would be an RBI single. The Falcons would score one more run off a walk in the first inning. The Falcons had five runs off four hits in the first inning.
 
There was not much action in the second inning as both teams could only muster one hit apiece. The Bobcats would get their first run in the third inning off of a double into left-center field from William Reynolds (Bakersfield, Calif.), sending Jeremy Santiago (Ponce, Puerto Rico) home. Friends would hit a home run in the bottom of the third inning extending its lead back out to five.
 
In the fourth inning the Bobcats would only muster one hit as Jose Solis (Los Santos, Panama) and Jackson Tingwald (Ralston) ran into force outs. Josue Cisnero (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) would strike out to end the inning. The Falcons in their half of the inning would tack on three more runs off of just two hits but three errors from the Bobcats. This would end Jose Diana's (Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico) day on the mound. Diana finished the day with 3 IP, 7 earned runs and 8 hits given up. Fernando Falero (Carolina, Puerto Rico) would come into replace him.
 
In the fifth inning the Bobcats did not manage to get a hit or get anyone on base. The Falcons would only get one hit in the fifth as no damage was done from either side. The start of the sixth inning looked promising for the Bobcats as they started the sixth with two singles. They were not able to get a rally going and left one runner in scoring position and another on base. In the bottom of the sixth, the Falcons only managed one hit.
 
The Bobcats got the bats going in the seventh inning as they tried trimming the 9-1 lead. With one out in the seventh Angel Andrades (Humacao, Puerto Rico) got on base with a walk and then Santiago singled to center. Xavier Wright (Calumet City, Ill.) stepped to the plate and hit a three-run home run to center field to cut lead to five with Friends still leading 9-4. The Bobcats got out of the seventh inning without giving up any runs or hits looking to mount a comeback late.
 
In the eighth inning the Bobcats had two quick groundouts, but then Jackson Tingwald (Ralston) doubled to potentially start a two-out rally. Unfortunately, that would be the Bobcats only hit of the inning as Cisnero grounded out to short to end the Bobcats half of the inning. In the bottom of the eighth the Falcons would stretch their lead once more, starting with a double and a walk, then the Falcons would connect on a three-run home run to center field stretching the Falcon lead 12-4. The Falcons would get one more on the board in the eighth as they scored on a fly-out RBI.
 
The Falcons would close the game in ninth the same way they started the game with a three-up three-down inning winning the game 13-4. The Falcons would improve to 1-0 on the young season and the Bobcats would fall to 0-1.

The Bobcats had four different pitchers on the mound for game one Diana pitched three innings giving up seven earned runs on eight hits. Falero pitched four innings, not giving up any runs on just two hits. Luis Pacheco (Miami, Fla.), and Elijah Boersen (Cairo), rounded out the pitching for the 'Cats.

 
The Bobcats had four runs off eight hits and three errors to end the day, while the Falcons had 13 runs off 13 hits and zero errors. Leading the way in hitting for the Bobcats on Friday was Reynolds and Solis as they both had two. Wright was the RBI leader with three on the day.
 
Game 2
 
In the first game of the double-header on Saturday afternoon the Bobcats fell to the Falcons 10-8 in an offensive showcase.
 
After the Falcons scored one in the first inning, the Bobcats got it rolling in the top of the third inning. The Bobcats started the third with two singles from William Reynolds (Bakersfield, Calif.), and Wesley Bradford (Bakersfield, Calif.), and then a Solis double opened the scoring for the Bobcats.
 
The very next at-bat the Bobcats scored off a Jesus Tavares (Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic) bunt. Then Tingwald doubled to left sending Solis home. Cisnero would single to right sending Tavares home. The Bobcats would score four runs off six hits in the third inning and the Falcons would get one back in the bottom of the inning to make the score 4-2.
 
The bats would come alive again in the fifth inning for the Bobcats as Solis would double to left with one out in the inning. Then Tingwald with two outs hit a two-run blast for the Bobcats to make the score 6-2 in the fifth inning. The Bobcats would end the inning with two runs off of just two hits.
 
Unfortunately, the bats also came alive for the Falcons in the bottom of the fifth inning as they started off with a triple, but after two quick outs it looked as if the Bobcats would get  out of the inning and then the Falcons really woke up. The Falcons had a double that sent two runners home. Later on in the inning the Falcons would tack on one more off of an RBI single. Leaving the Bobcats clinging on to a 6-5 lead.
 
The Falcons would tie the game in the bottom of the seventh off of a fielder's choice. In the eighth the Falcons would plate four more runs completing eight unanswered runs to take the 10-6 lead.
 
The Bobcats would have one last rally in them in the top of the ninth as a Bradford double would send Francisco and Reynolds home making the score 10-8. The Bobcats rally would unfortunately end and would fall to 0-2. The Bobcats had eight runs off 13 hits and one error on the day, the Falcons had ten runs off of ten hits and only one error on the day.
 
The Bobcats used four different pitchers on the day. Devin Adams (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) pitched 4.2 innings. Adams had three strikeouts on the day with four earned runs on seven hits. John Laureano (Gurabo, Puerto Rico), pitched 1.2 innings and only gave up one hit. Elijah Boersen (Cairo)a pitched one inning for the 'Cats and gave up one earned run off two hits.  Jan Vargas (Juncos, Puerto Rico) pitched .2 innings giving up three earned runs off three hits.
 
Leading the way in the batting for the Bobcats was Solis with three hits and two RBIs with five at-bats on the day. Reynolds, Bradford, Tingwald and Cisnero were all tied for second with two hits.
 
Game 3
 
In the second game of the double-header the Bobcats fell to the Falcons 8-7 in seven innings of play.
 
In the first inning of play Friends was able to get on the board with a home run to center to take the 1-0 lead but no damage was done after that as both teams only managed one hit in the inning.
 
The Bobcats got the bats going in the third inning as Bradford hit a two-run home run sending Reynolds home. The Falcons would get one run back making the score 2-2 heading into the fourth inning.
 
In the fourth inning Tingwald would score on a wild pitch but that would be the only run for the Bobcats in the fourth as they would get one run off two hits. The Falcons would also score one run in the fourth off a homer to center in the first at-bat in the bottom of the fourth inning.
 
The Bobcats would score again in the fifth after two singles from Bradford and Solis and an error from the Falcons would send Bradford home. The Bobcats were on top of the Falcons 4-3 heading into the bottom of the fifth. The Falcons would score three runs off of two hits and one error in the bottom of the fifth giving Friends the 6-4 lead.
 
In the sixth inning the Bobcats would reclaim the lead scoring three runs, two of which were off a double from Wright and the last one came from a Reynolds double to have the Bobcats leading 7-6 heading into the bottom of the inning. Unfortunately, the Bobcats lead was short lived as the Falcons plated two more runs in the bottom of the sixth from a couple of doubles from the Falcons batters.
 
The Bobcats were not able to muster a last inning rally and would fall to the Falcons 8-7. Friends would complete the sweep of Peru State as they would improve to 3-0 on the year and Peru State would fall to 0-3. The Bobcats ended the day with seven runs off ten hits and just one error. Friends finished with eight runs off of seven hits and two errors.
 
The Bobcats only had two pitchers on the bump for the last game as Sebastian Rodriguez (Cayey, Puerto Rico) threw five innings, had five strike outs, giving up six earned runs on five hits. Blake Denson (Broken Bow) pitched one inning and he gave up two earned runs on two hits with a strike out.
 
There was a four-way tie for hitting as Angel Andrades (Humacao, Puerto Rico), Bradford, Solis and Tingwald all had two hits apiece. Bradford and Wright tied for the lead with RBIs with two each.
 
Peru State will be back in action next Saturday and Sunday for a three-game series in Hillsboro, Kansas, to take on Tabor College. The first pitch is set for 12 p.m.