NEWBERRY, S.C. – After dropping their first contest of the season yesterday, the Newberry College (9-1) baseball team rebounded with a 14-6 dismantling of the Bearcats of Lander University on Saturday, February 19 at home.
Redshirt-junior Kyle Baker (Gaston, S.C.) picked up the win in relief as he tossed three and one-third scoreless innings for the Wolves while fanning three batters along the way. Freshman Tyler Chinpire (Jupiter, Fla.) opened up the contest for Newberry and the duo of sophomores Tyler Tuck (Liberty, S.C.) and Johnathan White (Simpsonville, S.C.) shut down the game, neither allowing an earned run.
Redshirt-junior Braylin Marine (Freeport, N.Y.) and redshirt-sophomore Henry Gibson (Walterboro, S.C.) each tallied four RBIs in the contest while freshman Ben Freeman (Easley, S.C.) tossed in a trio as well. The top five members of the Newberry lineup cross the plate for 13 of the 14 runs that the team put up in the contest.
Lander looked like it may very well carry the momentum from their win in last night's contest into today's matchup as they were able to post a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. However, Newberry turned around in the bottom of the frame and put up a three-spot in the inning. Back-to-back lead-off walks put two runners aboard for the Wolves while Gibson recorded the first RBI of the game with a double to plate a run. An error on the part of the Bearcats allowed another to score while the inning would come to an early end with a runner being caught on the base paths, but not before another run crossed the plate, giving the Wolves the 3-2 lead.
Both teams went scoreless in the second inning before Lander was able to put two more runs on the board in the top of the third off a two-run shot to swing the lead back in their favor, but that wouldn't last long as the Wolves were able to put up a run in the bottom of the frame to level the score back at four apiece.
Again, neither team was able to scratch across a run in the fourth inning either, but the fifth inning is where the Wolves would really separate themselves in the contest as they were able to post three runs in the frame. After a two-out error kept the inning going, Gibson would step-up to bat and blast a shot to the left field fence, allowing him to touch every bag as he picked up the first inside the park home run of year for the Wolves and giving them two more runs. Another defensive miscue allowed the Wolves to plate an additional run, giving them the 7-4 lead after five.
A bases clearing double down the left field line by Marine in the bottom of the sixth would further increase the margin for the Scarlet and Gray in the sixth. However, they were not done in the frame as a hard ground-out would plate another run and clear the bases where Freeman would blast a solo shot over the fence in left field to bring the advantage to 12-4.
Lander added two more runs to their total in the seventh, but the Wolves responded with a pair of their own in the bottom of the eighth to finish out the contest with the 14-6 final.
The teams finish out their three-game series back on the road in Greenwood, S.C. on Sunday, February 20. First pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m.
