HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Emory & Henry College Baseball Team (1-8, 0-3 SAC) dropped both ends of a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader to Coker University (7-3, 3-0 SAC) Saturday afternoon. The Cobras took a narrow 3-2 win in game one before earning a convincing 11-2 victory in game two. 

The Basics
GAME ONE – Coker 3, Emory & Henry 2
GAME TWO – Coker 11, Emory & Henry 2 (Seven Innings)
LOCATION – Hartsville, South Carolina
VENUE – Tom J. New Field at Dave Schmotzer Stadium
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (1-8, 0-3 SAC); Coker (7-3, 3-0 SAC)

Game One -  Coker 3, Emory & Henry 2
The Cobras were first on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning as they strung together two runs on two hits and a pair of E&H miscues to jump ahead 2-0. Both starters kept the bats in check for the majority of the game as the score remained 2-0 heading to the top of the fifth. Junior designated hitter Steven Smith (Salisbury, N.C.) was hit by a pitch and moved up to second on a single from freshman third baseman Devin Daproza (Leonia, N.J.). Freshman shortstop Anthony Umbach (Harrisburg, N.C.) delivered an RBI single to score Smith and Daproza scampered home on an outfield error to tie things up at 2-2.

The score remained deadlocked until the bottom of the seventh. Coker would score the go-ahead run in the inning due to an error, a hit by pitch and a pair of walks that pushed the score out to 3-2. The Cobras' bullpen shut down the E&H lineup over the final two innings to earn the win. 

Benjamin Blackwell earned the win for Coker as he threw four scoreless innings in relief, allowing just two hits and a pair of walks. Senior right-handed pitcher Bryson Wagner (Salisbury, N.C.) took the loss for the Wasps despite a strong outing on the mound. Wagner scattered five hits and three runs, just one of which were earned, as he went all eight innings while striking out a career-high 12 batters. Five different Wasps recorded a base hit in game one.

Game Two - Coker 11, Emory & Henry 2, (Seven Innings)
Senior third baseman Jared Foley (Sparta, N.C.) kicked game two off with a bang as he reached on an error and sprinted around the bases to score after the fielder booted the ball to give the Wasps an immediate 1-0 lead. Coker answered in the bottom of the inning with a run on a pair of hits to tie things up at 1-1 after one inning. The Cobras added five more runs on the back of six hits in the bottom of the second to surge ahead 6-1.

Both teams were held scoreless through the following two innings, but Coker got back on the board in the bottom of the fifth. CU utilized three hits, two hit batters, two walks and an E&H error to push across five more runs and balloon its lead out to 11-1. The Wasps would put up a run in the top of the seventh on a double from Umbach and an RBI single off the bat of Foley to cut the deficit to nine, but it was too late as the Cobras completed the weekend sweep with an 11-2 victory.

Garrett Dunn was the winning pitcher for Coker, allowing just one unearned run on three hits over 4 ⅔ innings. Senior righty Hunter Kirkpatrick (Albany, Ore.) was saddled with the loss after giving up six runs and seven hits in 1 ⅔ innings on the mound. Senior outfielder Matt Hill (Pineville, N.C.) and Umbach led E&H with three and two hits respectively. Senior designated hitter Caeden Howell (Roaring River, N.C.), junior outfielder Khadeem Lewis (Chesterfield, Va.) and Foley had one base knock apiece.

Up Next
The Wasps make the short trip to Bristol, Tennessee on Wednesday, February 21 for a non-conference game against border rival King (Tenn.) University. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m..

--E&H--