The Denison baseball team suffered a pair of losses to regional opponents on Monday in Port Charlotte, Fla. The Big Red opened the day with an 5-0 loss to Heidelberg before suffering a 6-3 setback to Manchester.

In the opener, Heidelberg (8-1) took the early lead thanks to a three-run bottom of the first. After a one-out single to center by TJ Harkness, Derek Hug followed with a two-run homer to right center. Steven Morse scored the third run of the frame on a base hit to right by Alex Grove. The Berg's Evan Long provided the other two tallies with sacrifice flies in the second and fourth. Both fly outs scored Adam Hershberger.

The Big Red started rally in the fifth when a leadoff walk to Zac Lewinski and a pair of one-out singles by Lascelles Lagares and Tucker Davison loaded the bases. However, Heidelberg starter Sam Ankrom worked out of the jam with a strikeout and a fly out to center. Denison put Akrom in a similar situation in the sixth when Charlie Apfelbach and Ryan Mulligan each reached base to open the frame. But once again, the Heidelberg hurler pulled a Houdini with three-straight strikeouts to escape unscathed. The Big Red would put two more runners on in the ninth, but a strikeout by reliever Jordan Watson secured the shutout for the Berg.

Lagares paced the DU offense with two hits, while six other Big Red athlete each logged a hit. Apfelbach also stole his second base in as many games. Freshman starter Zack Huarte took the loss after allowing five runs (three earned) on 10 hits with eight strikeouts in five innings of work. Classmate Perley Provost tossed three shutout inning out of the pen, scattering two hits and fanning one.

Four different players for Heidelberg each logged two hits. Hug and Long each drove in a pair, while Herschberger touched the dish twice. Hug, Steve Morse, Hershberger and Derek Hendrixson all recorded multiple hits. Ankrom improved to 2-0 on the year after scattering six hits and striking out eight in seven shutout innings. Watson registered three Ks and just two hits in the final two frames.

Against the Spartans, Denison ended the game's scoring drought with a single run in the top of the third. Sophomore Alex Enrique got things going with a one-out triple to center field. Apfelbach followed with a fly ball to center that allowed Enrique to cross the dish, giving DU a 1-0 advantage. The lead was short lived, however, as Manchester answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame. Trevor Kimm tied the ball game with a home run to left. The Spartans took the lead when Jordan Nieman scored on a Big Red miscue in the field. Manchester went on to added another run in the fifth via sacrifice fly by Tailur Szarenski that plated Nieman.

The Big Red received a big charge in the top of the six. With two outs, freshman Tanner Johnson reached on an infield single to third. Johnson wasn't on the bases for long as Mulligan belted a two-run bomb to right that tied the game at 3-3.

Unfortunately, the Spartans were able to answer with three runs in the sixth to retake the lead. Kimm delivered the key blow of the inning with a one-out, three-run double to left that scored Kyle Norris, Sean Knepper and Justin Miller. In the seventh, Manchester decided to relieve Corey Ferguson and bring Taylor Kopplin in from the bullpen. Kopplin did his job as he struck out three in two hitless innings.

Mulligan went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, two RBIs and a run scored, while Enrique also had two hits, including his first-career triple. Starter Ian Barry (0-1) suffered the loss after giving up six runs (five earned) on 10 hits with three Ks in 5.1 innings. Sophomores Connor Hanrahan and JT Trimble combined to finish the final 2.2 innings. Each reliever surrendered just one hit in their appearances.

Knepper led Manchester (4-3) with three hits, while Kim drove in a game-high four runs on two hits. Nieman also had a pair of hits and scored twice. Ferguson improved to 2-0 after allowing three runs on seven hits in seven innings, while Kopplin earned his first save of the season.

Denison (1-2) returns to the field on Tuesday when they take on New Paltz State at North Charlotte Regional Park Field #6 in Port Charlotte, Fla. First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m.