WATERLOO, Ont. - The Laurier Golden Hawks opened their 2026 season at Bechtel Park on Saturday, dropping a doubleheader to the Brock Badgers by scores of 13-3 and 8-5.

The Golden Hawks showed flashes of offensive production throughout the day, collecting 20 hits across the two games, but Brock capitalized on key opportunities to complete the sweep.

In the opener, Laurier traded leads with the Badgers through five innings. Griffen Duenkler put the Hawks on the board with an RBI single in the first before Preston Vieria's run-scoring double restored a 2-1 advantage in the fourth. After Brock tied the game with a solo home run in the fifth, Duenkler delivered again, driving in a run to give Laurier a 3-2 lead.

The Badgers responded with a big sixth inning, scoring five runs to seize control before adding six more in the seventh to pull away for the 13-3 victory.

Duenkler led Laurier offensively, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs, while John Banks added a pair of hits. Starter Gavin McLean struck out four over 3.2 innings of work.

Game two featured another strong offensive performance from the Hawks, who outhit Brock 11-9 but were unable to protect an early lead.

Laurier erupted for four runs in the first inning. Duenkler doubled home two runs before Brendan Boys and Daniel Leonard each drove in a run to stake the Hawks to a 4-0 advantage. Jared Wellman's RBI single in the third extended the lead to 5-3.

Brock chipped away before taking the lead for good in the sixth inning, highlighted by a two-run single from Adam Geddes. The Badgers added an insurance run and held Laurier scoreless over the final four innings to secure the 8-5 win.

Duenkler continued his strong opening day, finishing 2-for-3 with two RBIs in game two. Banks, Nolan Goranson and Wellman each recorded two hits, while Jack Rosseti struck out seven over 6.1 innings on the mound.