MYRTLE BEACH, SC — The Houghton Highlanders dropped a pair of non-conference games on Tuesday, falling to Eastern University in the opener, 8-3, before losing to Lancaster Bible College, 21-7 in the nightcap. 
 
GAME VITALS                           
Game 1 Score: Houghton – 3 | Eastern – 8
Game 2 Score: Houghton – 7 | Lancaster Bible – 21
Records: Houghton: 1-4 | Eastern: 3-3 | Lancaster Bible: 5-6
Venue #1: Ebbets Field, The Ripken Experience | Attendance: 85
Venue #2: Griffith Field, The Ripken Experience | Attendance: 80
 
Game 1: A five-run fifth inning provided all the offense the Eastern Eagles would need.
 
Houghton's Kip Bertram turned in a solid outing on the mound, tossing five innings while scattering six hits and three walks, allowing two earned runs in the loss.
 
Eastern's Graham Adams picked up his first win of the year, keeping the Highlanders off-balance through six innings, while allowing six hits, four walks and only two runs.
 
After Eastern plated a run in the third and two in the fourth, Houghton scored a pair on a Christian Tortorici double to right field, trimming the Eastern lead to 3-2.
 
In the sixth, the Eagles plated five runs on an infield single, two balks, back-to-back walks, a dropped pop fly and a pair of hits.
 
Houghton recouped another lone run in the eighth on a failed back-pick at first base that scored Vincent Lucyszyn from second base.
 
Game 2: The Highlanders gave up 22 free bases, including 13 walks, five hit batters and four fielding errors.
 
The Chargers sent 13 batters to the plate in the first inning, jumping out to an overwhelming, nine run lead on only two hits.
 
Houghton battled back in the top of the second, scoring five runs of their own on four hits and a pair of Lancaster Bible errors. 
 
But from that point on the wheels came off for the Highlanders, as they gave up three in the bottom of the second, four more in the third, one in the fifth and four more in the sixth.
 
The Highlanders would score their only runs in the sixth inning on a fielder's choice and another Chargers' error.
 
KEY STATS:
>> Jeremiah Chow finished his day 3-for-6 at the plate, while Vincent Lucyszyn went 3-for-7 with four runs scored.
 
>> In the second game, Ian Slate went 2-for-4 with three RBI.
 
COACH'S CORNER:
"We simply have to be better.  We have beaten ourselves in three of our four losses, and simply are not playing to the standards we have established.
 
"The biggest issue for us today was that we lost the free-bases battle… badly.  Too many walks, too many hit batters, too many errors.  That's a really bad combination.
 
"Our team will rebound, but we have work ahead of us." – Head Coach Brian Reitnour
 
UP NEXT:
The Highlanders return to the Ripken Experience on Friday for a doubleheader against New England College, starting at 3:00 p.m.