WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Clark University baseball team (1-0) opened their 2026 season with a convincing 15-13 victory against St. John Fisher (3-2) on Sunday morning from Chain of Lakes Field.

How it Happened

• Junior Jacob Kline got the ball for the Cougars and after allowing a leadoff walk, senior Brayden Hollinrake caught Droge stealing with a shoot down to junior Chas Caron and Kline forced a fly out and foul out to end the top of the first.
• Senior Dom Mariani registered Clark's first hit of the year and after a senior Michael Soares walk, sophomore Cole Kamara roped a single to center field that brought home Mariani as the Cougars led 1-0 after one inning of play.
• St. John Fisher scored two runs in the top of the second and in the bottom half, Clark answered back as sophomore Bennett Hewett and Caron each reached base and Mariani brought them home with a single to left field gave the Cougars a 3-2 lead.
• In the top of the third, Camara recorded two great catches in left field before senior Alfonso Jalil tallied a catch in foul ground to end the inning before Jalil belted a three-run homer to left field in which Hewett and Hollinrake scored to take a 6-2 edge.
• Sophomore Robby Roth pitched a scoreless fourth and in the bottom half, Soares drove in junior Michael Salzillo to push their advantage to 7-2.
• After three runs in the fifth, Clark answered back with three runs of their own as Jalil and Caron each scored on wild pitches and sophomore Myles Fournier hit a sacrifice fly to give the Cougars a 10-5 lead.
• Roth tossed a 1-2-3 sixth and Mariani roped a ball to right field and legged all around the bases for an inside the park homer scored Salzillo, Caron, and Hewett to push their edge 14-5.
• The Cardinals rattled off six unanswered runs in the seventh before Salzillo tallied an RBI single to right field which brought home Hewett as they took a 15-11 lead into the eighth.
• Senior Matthew Donahue pitched a scoreless eighth and in the ninth, Soares got out of a bases loaded jam with a punchout as they opened the year with a 15-13 win.

Inside the Stats

• Mariani homered, drove in six runs, recorded three hits, and scored three runs.
• Jalil also homered, drove in three runs, and scored a pair of runs.
• Salzillo, Soares, Fournier, and Camara also drove in runs.
• Hewett scored a team-high four runs and Caron added three runs scored.
• Roth earned his first win of the season on the bump and struck out four batters.
• Kline allowed no earned runs in three innings pitched.

What's Next
The Cougars will return to the field tomorrow morning when they take on Grove City from NorthEast Regional Park beginning at 11:15 a.m.