CENTRAL, S.C. – The Emory & Henry College Baseball Team (1-2) split a doubleheader with Southern Wesleyan University (2-1) Saturday in non-conference action. The Warriors took game one by a 2-1 score and the Wasps were victorious by a 9-3 margin in game two.
The Basics
GAME ONE – Southern Wesleyan 2, Emory & Henry 1 (seven innings)
GAME TWO – Emory & Henry 9, Southern Wesleyan 3
LOCATION – Central, South Carolina
VENUE – Dr. C. Keith Connor Field
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (1-2, 0-0 SAC); Southern Wesleyan (2-1, 0-0 Carolinas)
Game One – Southern Wesleyan 2, Emory & Henry 1 (Seven Innings)
The Warriors struck early with a run in the bottom of the first and doubled their lead in the bottom of the second inning.
The Wasps were held off the scoreboard until the top of the seventh. A pair of hits from junior Matt Hill (Pineville, N.C.) and fifth-year Mason Lyda (Mills River, N.C.) followed by a walk from senior Noah Mazza (Plainfield, Ill.) loaded the bases with nobody out. A sacrifice fly off the bat of junior Jared Foley (Sparta, N.C.) scored the first E&H run and trimmed the deficit to one. The other two runners could advance no further and SWU took game one of the doubleheader 2-1.
Ash Faulk earned the win for the Warriors on the mound. Junior right-hander Bryson Wagner (Salisbury, N.C.) took the loss, working three innings and allowing both runs. Sophomore Jacob Nester (Hillsville, Va.) posted three scoreless innings of work out of the bullpen.
Game Two – Emory & Henry 9, Southern Wesleyan 3
The Wasps flipped the script in game two of the doubleheader, jumping on the Warriors with three runs in the opening frame. A pair of errors gave E&H its first run of the day, and an RBI single from junior Cole Cunningham (Wake Forest, N.C.) pushed the lead to 2-0. Another error committed by SWU gave the Wasps their third run and the early lead.
Foley reached in the top of the second on a bunt single and matriculated his way around to third with less than two outs. A sacrifice fly from junior Wayne Mize (Salisbury, N.C.) pushed the E&H lead to 4-0. A double from senior Tyler Bradley (Bessemer City, N.C.) in the fourth followed by another RBI from Mize increased the margin to five.
The Warriors responded with a three spot in the bottom of the fourth, but an RBI single from Mazza in the fifth saw the margin bump back up to 6-3 in favor of the visitors from Emory. Mize and Mazza added another RBI each in the top of the seventh and Bradley contributed a sacrifice fly to drive in another, as the Wasps cruised to the 9-3 decision for their first win of the young season.
Junior righty Andrew Parr (Opelika, Ala.) earned the winning decision for the Wasps, posting five solid innings and allowing only five hits and one earned run. Junior Hunter Kirkpatrick (Albany, Ore.) went three scoreless innings out of the pen and fifth-year Michael Owen (Charlotte, N.C.) threw a scoreless ninth inning to clinch the victory.
Up Next
Emory & Henry returns to the state of South Carolina on Wednesday for a non-conference showdown with defending National Champion and current No. 1 nationally-ranked North Greenville University. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
—E&H—