PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Chatham Baseball (1-0, 0-0 PAC) scored 5 runs in the second inning of Tuesday evening's season-opening matchup against Muskingum (0-1, 0-0 OAC) and would hold on to clinch a 6-4 victory.
 
Senior Matt Brandt hit a 3-run home run to power the Cougars' big inning, finishing the game with 3 RBIs and a hit by pitch. Two Chatham players had multiple hits, as seniors Angelo DeLeonardis and Caleb Jones both went 2-4. Junior Devin Fluhmann was 1-3 with a walk at the plate, scoring 2 runs and driving in a run. Junior Nolan Boehm drove in a run on a sacrifice fly and reached base with a walk for the Cougars.
 
On the mound, senior Cason Bennett picked up the win, allowing 3 earned runs on 4 hits in 5 innings with 3 strikeouts, while senior Matt Bamford opened his season with a save by allowing 1 unearned run while striking out 2 in the ninth inning. Junior Gianni Cantini tossed 3 scoreless, hitless innings with 2 Ks to boost Chatham.
 
 
Fluhmann's double down the right field line kicked off the Cougars' scoring in the second inning, as he drove in Dominic Obiecunas from second base. With Fluhmann and Dominic Colarusso on base, Brandt launched a ball to deep right center field, where it carried over the fence to put Chatham ahead 4-0. The Cougars would tack on one more run in the second when the Muskies' pitcher did not touch first base on what could have been an inning-ending ground out, allowing Eddie Rueda to score. Muskingum would get 2 runs back on a 2-RBI single in the fourth and another on a double in the fifth. Boehm gave Chatham another insurance run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth to make the score 6-3. In the ninth, Bamford came in and allowed just one run on a sacrifice fly and struck out the final Muskies' hitter, who represented the tying run, to close the game.
 
The Cougars return to action tomorrow evening when they take on Penn State Greater Allegheny at West Field, with the first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m.