CHARGERS OPEN SEASON WITH EXTRA INNING LOSS TO PIONEERS
Cary, N.C. (2/27/28) The Dominican University New York baseball team opened up the 2026 season with an 11-8 extra inning loss to the Pioneers of Point Park University in a game played today at the USA Baseball National Training Center.
The win lifts the Pioneers to 1-0 on the season, while the Chargers fall to 0-1.
Point Park got on the scoreboard in the top of the second with two runs and they held that lead until the bottom of the fourth when catcher AJ Giannetti hit a two-out RBI single and Jean Nunez followed with an RBI double to make the score 2-2.
A Pioneer run in the third put them ahead, but the Chargers rallied with a three-run bottom half of the inning to claim a 5-3 lead. Right fielder Jaden Maia blasted a three-run homer to give them the lead.
Following a PP run in their half of the sixth, third basemen Pablo Guevara hit an RBI single to give DUNY a 6-4 advantage.
The Pioneers re-took the lead in the top of the eighth with a three-run inning, but Giannetti brought home a run on an RBI ground to re-tie the score at 7-7.
The game went scoreless for the next four innings until the Pioneers struck for four runs in the top of the 13th inning to jump ahead 11-7. Centerfielder Erick Diaz hit an run-scoring single in the bottom of the 13th for the final 11-8 score.
Nunez and Byron Arias had three hits each in the loss, while Maia finished with three RBIs and two hits.
Giannetti had two hits and two RBIs, while Diaz finished with two hits also.
Six different Chargers took the mound in the contest, but reliever Jason Murphy suffered the loss in one inning of work.
Dominican returns to action tomorrow when they take on the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown in a non-conference doubleheader at the USA Baseball National Training Center.
