BRIDGEWATER, Va. – The Bridgewater College Baseball Team (12-4-1, 3-4 ODAC) earned a pair of wins over visiting Emory & Henry College (2-14, 0-6 ODAC) in Old Dominion Athletic Conference play Saturday afternoon at the BC Baseball Field. The Eagles took game one by a 7-2 score and prevailed in the second contest, 15-3.
Game One – Bridgewater 7, Emory & Henry 2
BC got on the board with single runs in the second, third and fourth innings to take a 3-0 lead. The Eagles got their third run of the game on a single up the middle by Derrik Walling, which drove in Hunter Hensley, who doubled down the left field line a batter earlier.
Emory & Henry made it 3-1 after the seventh and added a run in the eighth to close the gap to 3-2. With one out and the bases loaded, freshman catcher Chris Benton (Blountville, Tenn.) drove in a run with a groundout while the Wasps' eighth-inning score came on a single to right field by junior right fielder Brandon Lineberry (Hillsville, Va.).
In the bottom of the eighth, Bridgewater answered with four runs to put the game out of reach. Walling got things going with a triple to right field while two runs scored on Kenner Berry's single later in the frame, making the final score 7-2.
Walling had two hits and two runs scored for the Eagles while Darren Yoder had a pair of base knocks and two runs scored. Steven Woerner picked up the win, scattering two runs and four hits over eight innings of work with five strikeouts.
Emory & Henry senior first baseman Bransen Christopher (Hickory, N.C.) led the way with a pair of hits and a run scored while Lineberry had a hit and a RBI. Senior left-hander Aaron Sparks (Troutman, N.C.) suffered the loss, allowing three runs on seven hits with three strikeouts despite five errors by the Wasp defense.
Game Two – Bridgewater 15, Emory & Henry 3
Bridgewater broke open a 7-2 game with an eight-run seventh inning as it hammered out 19 hits to complete the sweep.
Down 3-0 in the top of the fourth, Emory & Henry closed the gap to 3-2 thanks to back-to-back doubles by Christopher and Lineberry. A run in the bottom half of the fourth and three in the fifth by the Eagles made the score 7-2. Hunter Hensley drove in two with his two-out double down the left field line.
In the seventh, Walling started things off with a two-run triple while Brendan Howell plated two later in the frame for the Eagles.
A two-out solo home run by Lineberry in the top of the eighth made the final margin 15-3. It was the junior's team-leading fourth round-tripper of the season.
Walling had four hits, three runs and three RBI to lead the Eagles' offensive attack while Yoder added three hits and Howell notched two hits and three RBI. Justin Petcock scattered two runs and five hits over seven innings to earn the win, striking out four.
Emory & Henry was paced by Lineberry's bat with two extra-base hits and two RBI as he scored a run. Christopher had a hit, a run and a RBI as well. Junior Ty Hill (Knoxville, Tenn.) suffered the loss, allowing seven runs on 12 hits.
E&H will return to action on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m., when it hosts Eastern Mennonite University in an ODAC doubleheader.
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-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15