FT MYERS, Fla. – The United States Coast Guard Academy got their 2020 campaign off to a strong start, beating Lehman 24-0 in the season opener in a game ended after five innings and completing the sweep with a 9-3 victory over Martin Luther.

Against Lehman the bats were hot from the start as the Bears scored six runs in the bottom of the 1^st and went on to plate 10 more runs in the second before adding se in the third.

Sarah Kemp had her first career home run in the third Inning and freshman Katie Becker homered on the very first pitch she saw as a collegiate player.

Audrey Bartz had a grand slam home run for the Bears and finished the day 3-3 with thee runs scored.  Julia Ferris was strong in the circle, yielding only two hits in her three innings of work, striking out five to get the win.  Freshman Julia Rodriguez, in her collegiate debut, pitched the final two innings of the game, striking out one and not allowing any hits.

In the second game the Bears jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings with Bartz and freshman Selena Serna notching RBI doubles.

After Martin Luther tied the score at 3-3 the Bears got their bats going again, adding a run in the fourth before exploding for five in the fifth to round out their scoring for the day.

Freshman Maria Dewey was 3-5 with 2 RBIs while Becker was 2-3 with two runs scored.  Sydney Arendt pitched a complete game, allowing five hits and a walk while striking out five.

The Bears are back in action tomorrow when they take on Curry at 1:00 and Kenyon at 3:00.