HICKORY, N.C. – The Emory & Henry College Baseball Team (5-24, 2-16 SAC) dropped the third game of a three-game South Atlantic Conference series to Lenoir-Rhyne University (20-12, 8-7 SAC) Sunday afternoon. The Bears registered 15 hits on their way to a 14-7 win.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Lenoir-Rhyne 14, Emory & Henry 7
LOCATION – Hickory, North Carolina
VENUE – Durham Field
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (5-24, 2-16 SAC); Lenoir-Rhyne (20-12, 8-7 SAC)
How It Happened
The Bears wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, as they pushed across three runs in the first inning and four more in the second to take the early 7-0 lead. E&H answered in the top of the third when senior third baseman Jared Foley (Sparta, N.C.) reached after a wild pitch on strike three and came around to score when freshman shortstop Anthony Umbach (Harrisburg, N.C.) singled to right and both circled the bases for a little league home run after a fielding error by the LR outfielder allowed the ball to scoot to the fence, drawing the Wasps within 7-2.
The Wasps added two more in the top of the fourth. Senior outfielder Matt Hill (Pineville, N.C.) singled and senior designated hitter Caeden Howell (Roaring River, N.C.) and junior second baseman Steven Smith (Salisbury, N.C.) drew a pair of walks to load the bases. Foley smashed a two-RBI single through the middle of the diamond to score Hill and Howell and make it 7-4. E&H continued to cut into the deficit in the top of the fifth when fifth-year outfielder Jermie Greene, Jr. (Troutman, N.C.) walked and scored on an RBI double off the bat of Howell to reduce the gap to just two.
The bats woke up for LR in the bottom of the fifth as they posted four more runs on the back of four hits and an error to push their advantage back out to 11-6. Howell plated another run for the Wasps in the top of the seventh on an RBI single, but once more the Bears had a response with three more runs in the home half of the eighth. E&H would score one more run in the top of the ninth on an RBI fielder's choice by Smith as Lenoir-Rhyne took the win by a 14-7 final.
Joshua Lanham earned the win on the mound for LR, working a scoreless sixth inning in relief. Freshman lefty C.J. Lincoln (Aiken, S.C.) was the losing pitcher after allowing seven runs on five hits over 1 ⅓ innings of work. Foley and Howell each recorded two hits and two RBIs in the loss.
Up Next
E&H steps out of conference play on Tuesday, March 26 when the Wasps travel to take on the Crusaders of Belmont Abbey College. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. from Belmont, North Carolina.
--E&H--