WASHINGTON – The Gallaudet University baseball team won its North Eastern Atlantic Conference (NEAC) season opener on a rainy, cold raw Sunday afternoon with an 11-1 victory over Cazenovia College at wet Hoy Field.

Although the weather was far from ideal, the Bison made the most of the day, getting off to a great start and scored 10 of their 11 runs in the first four innings. The Bison (13-7, 1-0 NEAC) held the Wildcats (2-8, 0-1 NEAC) scoreless for almost the entire game, not giving up a run until the ninth inning. Sophomore starting pitcher Danny O'Donnell (Olney, Md.) pitched seven scoreless innings as he allowed four hits and struck out nine batters as he improved to 4-1 on the season. O'Donnell is the reigning NCAA Division III National Pitcher of the Week now sports a 0.64 ERA in 42 innings pitched.

Senior catcher Casey Hicks (Henderson, Nev.) had the big hit of the day as he blasted an opposite field grand slam in the fourth inning. Hicks sent Cazenovia pitcher Zach Levanduski's (0-2) pitch over the right field fence to cap a six-run inning as GU led 10-0. The Bison tacked on an additional run in the eighth.

Four different Bison had two or more hits led by Hicks (five RBI) and senior outfielder William Bissell (Brewer, Maine), who had three hits each. Bissell had three singles, scored twice, stole two bases and knocked in two runs. Sophomore Chase Magsig (Hudsonville, Mich.) and freshman Blake Phillips (Dalton, Ga.) had two hits each and one run scored.

The Bison bullpen of sophomore Zach Kohler (Union City, Calif) and freshman Matt Taylor (Auburn, Kan.) pitched an inning each, allowing only one combined hit.

The Bison will continue their NEAC series against Cazenovia tomorrow (Monday, March 31) with a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m.