NEWBERRY, S.C. – Brilliant starts from fellow freshmen Tyler Chinpire (Jupiter, Fla.) and Ethan LeBron (Lexington, S.C.) provided the catalyst for the Newberry College (18-3, 3-0 SAC) baseball team to a series sweep of Limestone University to open up South Atlantic Conference play on the year, turning in 5-1 and 7-1 wins over the Saints on Saturday, March 5.
Chinpire opened the day going six full innings in the early game of the twin bill, scattering just four hits while keeping the Saints off the scoreboard. He was able to retire three batters through is own work, only tossing 79 pitches. LeBron followed up that performance in the nightcap with a full six innings of his own, allowing four hits as well while only allowing a single run on the board. He struck out two batters in the evening.
Senior Zane Tarrance (Odessa, Fla.) led the team on the day with three RBIs, with two coming in the opening game while sophomore Rhett Jolly (Edgefield, S.C.) recorded the other. Sophomore Jacob LeBron (Lexington, S.C.) posted two RBIs in the second game while the first five batters in the Newberry lineup were able to record an RBI in the contest.
Neither team was able to repeat their performance in the first inning of the opening game of the series as neither was able to put a run on the board in the first frame. That lack of offense would carry into the second as it was not until bottom of the third before the Wolves were able to post four scores on the board. A hit batter and a walk put two runners aboard for the Scarlet and Gray and both would find them back around to where they started off a double down the left field line by Tarrance to give the Wolves the 2-0 lead. A defensive miscue and a wild pitch later in the inning plated the other two runs for Newberry giving them the 4-0 advantage.
Both teams would go on an extended scoreless streak yet again, this time with the Saints breaking up the lack of scoring as they plated their lone run in the contest in the top of the seventh. Though the Wolves were able to respond in the late goings of the eighth inning with a single run of their own, that's where the first game would end with the Wolves picking up the 5-1 win.
The second game was more of the same from the Scarlet and Gray, though this time they were able to start in the bottom of the first, posting a pair of runs in the opening frame of the nightcap. A defensive miscue, a walk and a single started the contest with the bags loaded for the Wolves as sophomore Henry Gibson (Walterboro, S.C.) would drive in the first run of the contest on a sacrifice fly. A hard groundout just a few batters later drove in the second run of the frame for the Wolves, giving them the 2-0 lead after one complete.
Another sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second gave the Wolves another run on the board while Ethan LeBron continued to sit the Saints down in order through the third. Newberry added another run in the fourth with a sacrifice bunt setting up Jacob LeBron with an RBI-single to make the advantage 4-0. Limestone finally broke through in the top of the fifth with a single run on a sacrifice squeeze play at the plate.
Another wild pitch in the bottom of the frame would bring around another run for the Wolves while two more sacrifice hits in the bottom of the sixth to extend the lead to the final 7-1 advantage in favor of Newberry.
Returning to non-conference action on Wednesday, the Wolves will welcome in the Trojans of the University of Mount Olive to the Smith Road Complex. First pitch is slated for 6:00 p.m.
