BOCA RATON, Fla. - The Lynn University baseball team wasted no time setting the tone on Easter weekend, erupting for five runs in the first two innings and never looking back in a 13-5 victory over Barry to open Sunshine State Conference play. Powered by a balanced offensive attack and timely pitching, the Fighting Knights improved to 15-16 overall and 5-8 in SSC action, securing an early edge in the weekend series.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Lynn came out swinging in the first inning, loading the bases before RBI singles from Jason Lashley and Cole Beck, along with an RBI walk from Amaris Harrison, gave the Fighting Knights an early 3-0 lead
- The Blue and White added on in the second, capitalizing on a Barry error and an RBI single from Lashley to extend the advantage to 5-0
- Ivan Herrera delivered the big swing in the third, launching a two-run home run out to left, pushing Lynn's lead to 7-0
- Barry got on the board in the fourth with an RBI groundout, but Lynn responded immediately in the bottom half
- Lashley stayed hot in the fourth, ripping a two-run double, while Beck followed with an RBI double to stretch the lead to 10-1
- Barry chipped away in the fifth with the help of a Lynn error and a sacrifice fly, making it 10-3
- Beck continued his strong day at the plate in the sixth with an RBI double to add another insurance run
- Lynn's pitching staff worked out of multiple jams, stranding runners in both the sixth and seventh innings to maintain control
- The Fighting Knights tacked on two more in the eighth, highlighted by an RBI single from Joel Tapia-Melo and an RBI walk from Herrera to make it 13-3
- Barry mounted a late push in the ninth with two runs on three hits, but Lynn closed it out behind freshman reliever Charlie Houd to secure the 13-5 victory
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- Lashley led the offense, going 3-for-5 with 4 RBI and 2 runs scored, finishing with zero strikeouts and zero runners left on base
- Beck matched the production, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and 3 RBI, accounting for multiple extra-base hits on the day
- Herrera delivered the biggest swing with a two-run home run and finished with 3 RBI, reaching base twice
- The top of the order set the tone as Justin Lopez (3 walks), Bryant Zayas (3 runs), and Scout Simpson (3 runs, 2 walks) combined to score 8 of Lynn's 13 runs
- Zayas scored 3 runs while recording just one hit, showing how disruptive he was on the bases
- Lynn showed elite plate discipline with 10 walks compared to just 8 strikeouts, constantly putting pressure on Barry pitching
- Lynn had 8 total free passes (walks/HBP) in the first two innings alone, fueling the early 5-0 advantage
- The Fighting Knights had six different players record an RBI, showcasing a balanced offensive attack
- Lynn scored in five different innings, including multi-run frames in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 8th
- On the mound, Andrew Ravelo earned the win, allowing just 2 hits over 5.2 innings while limiting Barry to 1 earned run
- Ravelo worked around traffic, issuing 4 walks and hitting 4 batters, yet still held Barry to a .111 batting average against
 
UP NEXT:
The Fighting Knights are back in business on Friday afternoon as they close out the three-game conference series with the Bucs at 12:00 pm in doubleheader action.