NEWBERRY, S.C. – Playing as the designated visiting team in their own ballpark, the Newberry College (20-3, 4-0 SAC) baseball team was able to pick up the win in the opening game of the conference series with UVA Wise with a 16-4 victory on Saturday, March 12.

Junior starting pitcher Joe LaFiora (Philadelphia, Pa.) was brilliant on the mound for the Wolves going six complete innings while only allowing three runs on seven hits.  But for every hit he gave up on the evening, LaFiora would retire a batter and then some through his own work as he sat 10 Cavaliers by way of the strikeout. Sophomore Wesley Livingston (Pomaria, S.C.) would wrap up the game for the Wolves tallying four strikeouts in his three innings of work to pick up the save.

All but one member of the Wolves starting line-up recorded a hit on the evening, though all nine of them did get on base throughout the contest. Senior Zane Tarrance (Odessa, Fla.) led the way for the Scarlet and Gray on the evening as he posted four RBIs, going 4-for-5 at the plate. Junior Braylin Marine (Freeport, N.Y.) and sophomore Henry Gibson (Walterboro, S.C.) each posted a trio of RBIs while senior Ian Clements (Upper Marlboro, Md.) turned in a pair.

UVA Wise was able to strike first in the contest with a lone run in the bottom of the first inning, but Newberry would respond in kind in the top of the second with one run of their own off an RBI-single by freshman Ben Freeman (Easley, S.C.) to bring the score back level.  However, that would not last long as the Cavaliers would post a pair of runs on the board in the bottom of the second to retake the lead, but that would be the last time they would hold it.

Newberry kicked off a three-run inning in the top of the third after a bases loaded double by Marine drove in a pair of runs and Gibson would plate and additional run with a single to the outfield to swing the lead in favor of the Wolves, 4-3.  Another crooked number found its way on the top line of the scoreboard in the fourth as Newberry again would toss up three runs in the frame.  Their lead would continue to extend by the same margin in the top of the fifth as a sacrifice fly and a double in the late goings of the inning plated three more runs for the Wolves and gave them the 10-3 advantage.

Silence would fall on the offensive side of the ball for both teams until the Cavaliers were able to get a run back in the bottom of the seventh, but the Wolves would respond with two runs in the eighth and four runs in the top of the ninth to wrap up the 16-4 final score.

The two teams will wrap up their conference series tomorrow, March 13 as they kick-off a doubleheader of action at 1:00 p.m.