HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Redshirt-junior Braylin Marine (Freeport, N.Y.) tied the single game team record for hits in a game with six as he was near perfect at the plate in the No. 16 Newberry College (35-11, 17-5 SAC) baseball team took home the 21-9 win over the Cobras of Coker University on Friday, April 22.
Marine furthered his nation leading tally on hits with his six-hit performance while adding in a pair of RBIs to his division leading mark there as well. Sophomore Jacob LeBron (Lexington, S.C.) led the team with four RBIs on the evening while five Wolves were able to post a pair of them in the box score. Sophomore Henry Gibson (Walterboro, S.C.) also tied a school-record by drawing four walks on the evening from the Cobra hurlers.
On the mound, redshirt-junior Bryce Peterson (Coon Rapids, Minn.) earned the win, picking up just his second on the year in relief, recording four strikeouts along the way. Junior Joe LaFiora (Philadelphia, Pa.) started the contest for the Wolves, tossing four complete innings while striking out seven.
The Wolves were able to get on the board first in the opening inning as senior Beau Thompson (Pickens, S.C.) drove a single up the middle to plate the first run of the game for either side and give Newberry the 1-0 lead. However, the Cobras would respond with a pair of dingers in the bottom half of the frame to swing the lead in their favor, 2-1. They would add and additional run to their tally in the bottom of the second to increase their lead to 3-1.
Newberry would shrink that margin to just one run in the top of the fourth as a hard ground out by freshman Jonathan Velez (Mayaguez, P.R.) plated another run for the Wolves and made it a 3-2 ballgame. The Wolves would take their second lead of the afternoon in the top of the fifth as they were able to plate three runs in the frame. A bunt single by freshman Jomar Lugo (San Sebastian, P.R.) brough home a run before a two-RBI single by LeBron would bring around two more to complete the scoring and bring the margin to 5-3. However, the Cobras would respond again, this time posting five runs on the board to take the 8-5 lead back from the Wolves grasp.
But as been the pattern all season, the Wolves responded yet again, this time with seven runs in the top of the sixth to blow the game wide open. A pair of defensive miscues forced what could have been a scoreless half inning into what turned into the deciding frame of the contest. Lugo, LeBron, Velez and senior Zane Tarrance (Odessa, Fla.) were all able to record RBIs in the frame and give the Scarlet and Gray the 12-8 lead.
The Wolves added another pair in the top of the seventh inning as Marine drove a single through the left side of the infield that plated a pair and they would add another run in the top of the eighth, this time coming off the bat of senior Ian Clements (Upper Marlboro, Md.) to extend their lead to 15-8. Coker was able to scratch across another run in the bottom of the frame to bring the lead back to six.
However, the Wolves would increase the lead by that same margin in the top of the ninth as they were able to plate six more runs with Thompson, sophomore Gabriel Santiago (Casselberry, Fla.) and freshman Kade Faircloth (Oviedo, Fla.) each recording RBIs in the inning. Coker was able to muster one hit in the bottom of the frame, but would not plate a run, giving the Wolves the 21-9 victory.
The two teams return to the diamond tomorrow to round out the conference series with a doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m.
