By: Andrew Korba

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Hiram College baseball team fell in its final game at the Gene Cusic Classic to Augustana (Ill.) on Saturday by a 7-5 score in Fort Myers, Florida.

The Terriers end the trip with a 3-7 overall record. The Vikings are 10-3.

Hiram wasted little time jumping on the board, scoring two times in the first inning.

Senior Jaren Bell (Rochester, N.Y./Brighton) was hit by a pitch to lead off the game and senior Jeff Segal (West Bloomfield, Mich./North Farmington) reached on a fielders choice, with Bell advancing to second on the play.

Sophomore Eric Martin (Brookfield) reached on an error and Bell came around to score on the play. Junior Trevor Foster (Warren/Champion) followed with a single to give Hiram the 2-0 edge.

Augustana responded with two runs of its own in the bottom half of the first to knot the game at 2-2.

The Vikings then exploded for four runs in the second to take a 6-2 lead.

The Terriers would get a run back in the fourth on a RBI single from Bell, but the Vikings countered with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning.

In the fifth, sophomore Brandon Gros (Ravenna/Kent Roosevelt) reached on an error, with Foster scoring on the play.

The Terriers also scored in the seventh when Foster crossed home on a balk.

Hiram put the tying run on base in the ninth inning, but came up empty, falling 7-5.

Freshman Riley Harpster (Ashland/Hillsdale), Bell and Foster each collected two hits in the game to lead Hiram.

Senior Nate Weiss (Warren, Mich./University Liggett) gave up six earned runs in six innings of work, while striking out three.

Hiram will return to action on Wednesday, when it plays a road contest at John Carroll that is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.