MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – Senior Zane Tarrance (Odessa, Fla.) and redshirt-junior Braylin Marine (Freeport, N.Y.) each posted four stolen bases, tying the single-game high for the program, as the Newberry College (15-3) baseball team picked up a 10-4 win over the Trojans of the University of Mount Olive on Wednesday, March 2.
In addition to their stolen bags on the day, Marine was able to pick up a pair of RBIs while Tarrance drove one runner in. Freshman Jonathan Velez (Mayaguez, P.R.) led the team with four RBIs as he went two-for-five at the dish. Sophomore Jacob LeBron (Lexington, S.C.) added the final RBI to the Wolves tally.
Sophomore Rylan Brown (Spartanburg, S.C.) picked up his second win of the season, starting the first five innings for the Scarlet and Gray allowing just three runs, only one of which was earned. Redshirt-sophomore Colm O'Shea (Sunnyside, N.Y.), redshirt-junior Kyle Baker (Gaston, S.C.) and sophomore Johnathan White (Simpsonville, S.C.) took over the final four innings of action to shut down the Trojans the rest of the way.
The Wolves started out quickly as they were able to post a run on the board in the top of the first. After getting on base by a walk, Tarrance would record his first stolen base and then be driven in by Marine just a few pitches later. Marine would make his way all the way to third through a pair of stolen bags but was stranded there as the Wolves took the 1-0 lead.
Mount Olive responded in the bottom half of the frame, but the Wolves did the same in top of the second as they doubled up the Trojans run production, taking the 5-2 lead. A lead-off double and a hit batter, with some help from a defensive miscue, put two runners in scoring position for the Wolves, both of whom would be driven in by Velez. Velez didn't spend long on the base paths as a triple laced to right center field by LeBron would bring him all the way to the plate and leave another run just 90 feet away. LeBron would trot that final distance when Marine sent a deep sacrifice fly to center field to wrap up the inning for the Wolves.
UMO went silent in the bottom of the second and the Wolves would repeat their offensive production from the second in the third as they posted four more runs on the board, all of which came with two outs. A double by senior Ian Clements (Upper Marlboro, Md.) got the offense rolling for the Scarlet and Gray and then a hit batter and a wild pitch would move two runners into scoring position. Velez recorded his other two RBIs with a double through the left side that plated the first two runs for the Wolves and would score on a wild pitch that was unable to be tracked down by the Trojans battery. Tarrance would tally an RBI-double to end the scoring in the inning for Newberry, giving them the 9-2 advantage.
Silence offensively would last till the top of the fifth when Newberry added another run on a defensive miscue that brought their lead out to 10-2. The Trojans would score a run in each of the fifth and ninth innings, but it would not be enough as the Wolves took home the 10-4 victory.
Newberry now turns its attention to the conference portion of its schedule as they kick off South Atlantic Conference action this weekend with a three-game series with Limestone on Friday and Saturday.
