MURFREESBORO, N.C. - The Lock Haven University baseball team (1-1) split with Chowan University (5-7) to start the 2017 season. LHU won game one, 6-3 and lost game two, 11-5. 
 
The Bald Eagles traveled to Chowan for a four-game series to start the 2017 campaign.
 
LHU returned nine position players including All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference player 
Matt Lahn (Georgetown, ONT./Erie Community College). The Bald Eagles also return its top-two starting pitchers in draft-prospect 
Jacob Belinda (Port Matilda, Pa./Tyrone) and 
Mike Anthony (Audubon, Pa./North Hampton Community College).
 
Third-year head coach 
Jim Chester and the Bald Eagles will look to build off a solid 2016 season that saw LHU win 21 games, the most in a season since 2009.
 
Lock Haven won game one 6-3 and fell to Chowan 11-5 in game two. 
 
In game one, Lock Haven used a strong start from ace Belinda and the long ball to down Chowan, 6-3.
 
In six solid innings of work, Belinda struck out six and scattered five hits.
 
Nick Stotler (Plum, Pa./Coker College), 
Hunter Szaflarski (Greencastle, Pa./Hagerstown Community College) and Lahn all homered for the Bald Eagles, and 
Cayden Stover (Beech Creek, Pa./Chesapeake College) was 2 for 4 at the plate with two runs scored.
 
Stotler hit a two-run homer in the third to put Lock Haven up 2-1. Szaflarski's solo shot in the fifth stretched The Haven lead to 3-1 and Lahn added a two-run home run in the fifth pushed the Bald Eagles lead to 5-1.
 
LHU added a run in the seventh as the Bald Eagles racked up nine total hits in season-opening victory.
 
In game two, Chowan defeated Lock Haven outscoring them 11-5 on 15 hits.
 
Stover stayed hot during game two of the doubleheader. going one for four with three RBIs. The three RBIs came in the top of the third on Stover's first home run as a Bald Eagle.
 
Anthony, the game-two starter, went 3.1 innings, striking out six batters.
 
Kolby Dehaas (Coeur D'Alene, Idaho/ Wentatchee Valley Community College) went one for two with a RBI and 
Evan McFarland (Cottonwood, Ariz./Gateway Community College) picked up the a RBI on a sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth.
 
The Bald Eagles and Chowan are back in action tomorrow (Sunday, Feb. 26) when they finish off a four-game series.