HICKORY, N.C. – The Newberry baseball team split their SAC doubleheader Sunday against Lenoir-Rhyne, taking game one 6-3 before dropping the final game 9-3. The game one win gave Newberry their fifth series win of the season. Heading into the SAC Tournament, Newberry has a record of 22-13, with a 19-9 record in conference action.
Game One
After falling behind in the bottom of the second, Newberry got on the board in the top of the third, recording two runs on three hits to take their first lead of the day.
Jack Harris got things started, cranking a solo home run over the left field fence, tying the game at one.
Aidan Baur then singled up the middle, which was followed by
Colin Allman drawing a six-pitch walk.
Nick Butler then stepped up to the plate and laced a sharp single into left field, scoring Baur and moving Allman to third base. After Butler stole second and
Ian Clements reached on a catcher's interference, the Bears were able to record a strikeout to escape the inning.
The Wolves continued to score in the fourth, starting with
Dalton Lansdowne reaching on an error. After stealing second, he advanced to third on a single courtesy of
Luke Orr, putting runners on the corner for Harris, who collected another hit, this one a double into right field, scoring a pair of runs and making it 4-1. The next batter was Baur, who picked up an RBI of his own, ripping a single into right field. He advanced to third when Allman singled, and scored when Butler hit a sacrifice fly to center field, giving the Wolves a 6-1 lead.
Matthew Campbell got the start on the mound for the Wolves, and threw four and two-thirds innings, allowing a pair of earned runs on six hits with three strikeouts to earn his fifth win.
Devin Makovsky came on in the fifth and threw one and one-third of an inning before giving way to
Bryce Peterson, who threw one scoreless inning to pick up his second save of the season. Offensively, Harris led the way for Newberry, going 2-4, with three RBI and two runs scored. Baur finished the game 3-4, while Butler was 1-3 with a pair of RBI.
Game Two
Newberry wasted no time in the second game, scoring in the top of the first inning.
Zachary Bailes kicked things off by taking the second pitch of the game and hitting an infield single. After advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt, he scored when Baur doubled into the right-center field gap. The Bears would respond with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning before taking a lead in the third.
The fourth inning saw Newberry take the lead after scoring two runs on three hits. The first three batters of the inning all reached base, with Harris leading things off with a double, scoring when Baur doubled. After Baur advanced to third on a balk, Allman drove him in with a sacrifice fly, giving the Wolves a 3-2 lead. Butler then picked up a single and stole second before the Bears escaped the inning with just the two runs allowed.
Lenoir-Rhyne would score three runs in the third and four in the sixth to pull ahead for good, despite a ninth-inning threat from Newberry that saw them get runners to first and second before the Bears ended things with a strikeout. Baur finished the game 2-3 at the plate, with a pair of RBI.
Jacob Jeffcoat had a solid game on the mound for Newberry, throwing three scoreless innings in relief, allowing a pair of hits and recording one strikeout.
