AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The Westminster College baseball team opened its 2018 season at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational on Sunday.

Westminster lost two games to SUNY Polytechnic Institute in a doublheader. The Titans fell, 2-1, in 10 innings in game one and, 11-8, in game two.

In game one, Westminster senior Joseph Salmen (New Castle, PA / Union) pitched eight innings, while only giving up one earned run on seven hits. Salmen struck out 11 batters, two shy from tying a career-high. Sophomore Emilio Rivera (Tampa, FL / Armwood) (0-1) pitched 1.2 innings in relief, giving up one run on two hits and throwing out two. Titan sophomore Frank Cinicola (Cranberry Township, PA / Seneca Valley) scored the first run of the game in the top of the fourth inning with an RBI-single to right field, scoring senior Brandon Rossier (Wexford, PA / North Allegheny). SUNY Poly's Nick LaBella tied the game at 1 with an RBI-single in the fifth, bringing home Dalton Earl. In the 10th inning, Nate Palmer had the walk-off single, scoring Bradley Dietz from second base; a throw from Titan centerfielder Vince Guerrieri (Latrobe, PA / Greater Latrobe) made it a bang-bang play at home plate.

In game two, the Wildcats took a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the third. The Titans, however, registered seven runs in the bottom half of the inning – all from Wildcat miscues. SUNY Poly tallied two more runs in the top of the fourth to make it 7-4 with the Titans in front. The Titans made the score 8-4 with a run in the bottom of the fourth. The Wildcats, however, took advantage of Westminster's own miscues and put together a six-run fifth inning, and led 10-8. The Wildcats added another run in the top of the sixth. Junior pitcher Kyle Kovach (Canfield, OH / Canfield) went to 0-1 on the season. Sophomore Jaret Johnson (Niles, OH / Niles McKinley) started the game and earned six strikeouts in 4.0 innings.

The Titans will next play Martin Luther College on Monday, March 5 in a doubleheader. Game one will start at 4:45 p.m.