FORT MYERS, Florida - March 4, 2024 - Timely hitting and a complete effort on the mound was just the combination Hiram needed in a 7-2 win over Defiance on Monday afternoon.

A go-ahead RBI double by Matthew Trimble gave Hiram a 3-2 lead and a two-run single by Ethan Lyke extended the margin even further, as the Terriers picked up their first win of the season on the sun-drenched stadium field at Terry Park. The impressive collegiate debut of Nicolas Chernitsky included 5.1 innings of two-run ball, while the bullpen unit of Matthew Kardos, Landin Wescott and Jacob Kocuba closed it out with 3.2 shutout frames.

In the process, Chaisson Marrs broke the school's all-time walk record with a pair of walks in the game; he passed Tom Reggi (66 walks from 1984-87) and now has 67 career base on balls. The senior knocked in a pair of runs on a bases-loaded walk and a bases-loaded hit by pitch.

Hiram made sure to make its presence felt early on, with Marrs creating traffic on the base paths and helping his team to a 2-0 lead in the first two innings. The lead provided Chernitsky with some cushion, as he weaved through the opposing lineup and finished with a final line of 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R/ER, 2 BB, 4 K.

Defiance would level the tally in the sixth inning before Trimble and Lyke came through with the decisive blows in the game, the second of which came with two outs and the bases loaded. Kobe Hunter topped it off with a sacrifice fly to right field to extend the advantage to 7-2; Hunter joined Hal Walker Jr. and Trimble as the three student-athletes with multiple hits in the game.

The Terriers will jump right back into action on Tuesday, when they play Rockford at 9 a.m. at the same Terry Park stadium field.