HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – First baseman Brenden Bell made a strong impression in his first game in a Titan uniform, but IU South Bend were unable to keep pace with the Rio Grande (Ohio) Red Storm, falling in the first of a three game set on Friday night, 10-7.

Bell went 4-for-5 at the plate in the season opener for the Titans (0-1), including a two-run home run in the top of the first that gave IUSB the early advantage. Bell also drove in runs in the 3rd and 7th innings, while scoring one himself in the 9th to lead the IUSB attack.

The Titans surrendered a pair of runs in the bottom half of the first, evening the score at 2-2, but rallied back in the 3rd when Owen Benson's single set up Bell to drive in Tony Reyes on a ground out.

The Red Storm (4-5) responded with four runs in the bottom of the 3rd, followed by a pair of insurance runs in the 4th and 5th to take an 8-3 lead through five. IUSB bounced back in the top of the 7th after a leadoff walk from Nolan Unger and a base hit from Reyes allowed Bell another RBI opportunity, where he singled in another score.

Another rally in the 8th saw the Titans score two runs on three hits, all with two outs, highlighted by a double from Jake Vanderwoude and an RBI double from Unger that cut the deficit to 8-6. Rio Grande would get the runs back in the bottom half of the frame to make it a 10-6 score.

In the 9th, a two-out triple from Bell followed by a fielding error gave IUSB their seventh run of the night, but the team was unable to complete the comeback.

The Titans will look to bounce back on Saturday afternoon, as the series concludes with a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m.