It was a cold, windy day for baseball on the West side of Cherry Hill, as the Lions took on the Shawnee Renegades in their 2025 season opener. The weather did not stop the Lions from being fired up to take the field again, however, as you could feel the buzz from around the school that West Baseball was back.
The reigning Diamond Classic champions, who split the season series last year with Shawnee, looked to get their second consecutive win against the Renegades. The starting lineup issued by West Head Coach Dan McMaster read:
- Grant Fournier, CF
- Jeffrey Cassano, RF
- Aiden Ryder, 3B
- Luciano Macri, 1B
- Josue Holloway, LF
- Andrew Bechtal, SS
- Luis Sanches, DH
- Hayden Baker, C
- Eric Brown, 2B
- Starting Pitcher: Isaiah Pierce-Gonzalez
- Closing Pitcher: Zachary Smith
Photo credit: @macho.flicks (Instagram)
The bats weren’t exactly active on Tuesday afternoon, as the Lions tallied only 3 hits and struck out 8 at-bats. The pitching staff did their job to keep the ballgame close, though, as Pierce-Gonzalez let up only 2 hits and struck out 5. Closing pitcher Zach Smith entered the game in the 6th and helped give the Lions an extra chance to tie the game. Allowing 0 runs through two innings, Smith brought needed energy to the Lions’ dugout, who were desperate for any kind of spark.