EMORY, Va. – The No. 3 nationally-ranked North Greenville University Baseball Team (25-8) broke out the bats as they defeated Emory & Henry University (10-21) in non-conference play Tuesday afternoon inside Porterfield-DeVault Field. The Trailblazers launched eight home runs on their way to a 19-7 victory.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – No. 3 North Greenville 19, Emory & Henry 7
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Porterfield-DeVault Field
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (10-21, 3-12 SAC); North Greenville (25-8, 11-7 Carolinas)
How It Happened
NGU took an early lead in the top of the first inning as they hit a solo homer and another two-run shot to jump ahead 3-0. The Wasps had an answer in the bottom of the inning as they tallied a run on a Trailblazer error to cut the deficit to 3-1. The visitors added four in the top of the second and two more in the top of the third, all via the long ball to push their advantage out to 9-1. Emory & Henry got back on the board in the bottom of the third when freshman shortstop Jaret Hoppes (Taylorsville, N.C.) singled and moved up on a wild pitch, senior first baseman Jacob Bebber (Taylorsville, N.C.) drew a walk and fifth-year outfielder Triston Hensley (Covington, Va.) drove in Hoppes with an RBI single to make it 9-2.
The Wasps would add four more runs in the home half of the fourth. Sophomore second baseman Jack Ferguson (Abingdon, Va.) and senior outfielder Khadeem Lewis (Chesterfield, Va.) led off with back-to-back singles and fifth-year outfielder Jared Foley (Sparta, N.C.) plated Ferguson with an RBI single. Hoppes delivered an RBI single through the right side and senior third baseman Steven Smith (Salisbury, N.C.) scored Foley when he reached on another NGU error. Hoppes would come around to touch home on a wild pitch and the score stood at 9-6.
The Trailblazers opened things back up with four runs in the top of the fifth on the back of three solo home runs and an RBI single, then tacked on one more in the top of the seventh. E&H would get a run back in the bottom of the eighth when Lewis scored on a balk, but that was as close as the Wasps would get as NGU scored five more times in the top of the ninth to take the 19-7 win.
Kadan Roach earned the win for the Trailblazers after throwing a perfect fifth inning in relief of starter Jake Monroe. Fifth-year lefty John McCarthy (Hampton, Va.) took the loss for the Wasps as he surrendered six runs on five hits in one plus inning of work. Hoppes paced E&H with three base knocks and an RBI. Foley, Smith and Hensley all drove in a run for Emory & Henry in the loss.
Up Next
Emory & Henry returns to South Atlantic Conference play this weekend when the Wasps travel to Greeneville, Tennessee to take on the Pioneers of Tusculum University. First pitch of game one is scheduled for Friday at 6:00 p.m. from Pioneer Park.
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