COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Benedict College baseball team opened the 2025 season on a cold and wet day, and dropped a doubleheader to Miles College at Benedict's Tiger Field.
 
The Tigers had an 8-6 lead heading into the ninth inning of the first game, but the Golden Bears rallied with three runs in the top of the ninth to take a 9-8 victory. Miles jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the first inning of the second game and cruised to a 6-3 victory to complete the doubleheader sweep.
 
In the first game, Juan Guardado opened the scoring with a solo home run in the first inning. After Miles scored two runs in the second inning, the Tigers tied the game on an RBI single by Nicholas Gioia. Benedict took a 3-2 lead in the third, and Miles tied the game with a solo home run in the fifth.
 
In the sixth inning, Jonathan Olmedo smashed a three-run homer to give the Tigers a 6-3 lead. Miles tied the game again with three runs in the seventh inning. In the eighth inning, Gioia had an RBI single and Isaiah Canty drove home Gioia with a triple to make it 8-6.
 
Miles tied the game with a two-run triple in the ninth inning, then scored the winning run on a sacrifice bunt.
 
In the second game, the Golden Bears scored four runs in the first inning, and added two more in the fifth for a 6-0 lead. Canty got the Tigers on the board with a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning and Carson Fellows had a solo homer in the sixth.
 
Benedict and Miles will attempt to play the third game in the series on Sunday, weather permitting, with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.