HICKORY, N.C. – Columbus State traveled north to open its first road series of the 2026 season on Friday, falling 17-7 to sixth-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne University at Durham Field.
Columbus State falls to 0-3 with the loss, while the Bears picked up a win in their season opener. Lenoir-Rhyne was ranked No. 3 in the ABCA Preseason Poll and No. 6 in the NCBWA Preseason Medial Poll after winning 50 games a year ago.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- For the third straight game, Columbus State scored first as junior Jax Yoxtheimer led off the game with a walk, stole second and third, and crossed home on an RBI from senior Cayden Evans.
- However, Lenoir-Rhyne responded with three runs on three hits in the bottom half of the inning to build a lead they would never give up.
- The Bears scored twice more in the second inning before the Cougars brought two runs of their own across to score to cut the deficit to just one run in the third courtesy of a two-run home run from sophomore Luke Miller.
- LR scored another run in the bottom of the third to move its lead back to three runs until the Cougars scored twice more in the top half of the fifth inning. Miller walked to lead off the frame and later scored on a Lenoir-Rhyne error before Evans came home on the Bears' second error of the inning.
- Lenoir-Rhyne broke the scoring wide open with six runs across the fifth and sixth inning of play to build a 12-5 advantage.
- Evans led off the seventh inning with a single to right center and later scored on an RBI double from senior Warrick Wilmot, but a two-run home run by the Bears in the home half of the inning moved the CSU deficit to eight runs with two innings to play.
- A three-run home run from the Bears in the eighth inning of action added to the LR lead as Wilmot scored the game's final run in the top of the ninth on a sacrifice fly from senior Landen Jensen.
NOTES
- Yoxtheimer finished the game 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a walk, and three stolen bases. The University of Alabama-Birmingham transfer now has five stolen bases and four runs scored through the season's first three games.
- Wilmot led all Cougars with three hits on the day, including a double, to go along with a run scored and an RBI.
- A total of eight Cougars recorded at least one hit in the loss, while Miller and Jensen has two RBI each.
- Miller hit Columbus State's first home run of the year as Crawley, Wilmot, and junior Cole Eison all recorded an extra-base hit.
- Redshirt-senior Matheew McMahan pitched a scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts in his first appearance of the season.
UP NEXT
Game two of the weekend series is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m. in Hickory.
