NEWBERRY, S.C. -- After weather moving through the state altered the weekend schedule for the squad, the Newberry College (4-1) baseball team was able to pick up a pair of wins over the Pacers of USC Aiken (3-2) in a Sunday twin bill at the Smith Road Complex on February 12.
Junior Henry Gibson (Walterboro, S.C.) led the Wolves with five RBIs on the day while senior Braylin Marine (Freeport, N.Y.) posted a trio of his own on four hits scattered between the two contests. Freshman Brody Winter (Anderson, S.C.) was also able to notch three RBIs on the day, including the walk-off win in the opener, giving the Wolves the 4-3 win in game one before they turned around and picked up the 15-5 win in the nightcap.
Senior Kyle Baker (Gaston, S.C.) picked up his second win of the season as he provided two innings of shutout baseball to wrap up the early game while fanning five along the way. Freshman Bennett Roemer (Bluffton, S.C.) notched his first collegiate victory in relief in the nightcap tossing three complete innings allowing no runs while striking out five along the way. Senior Joe LaFiora (Philadelphia, Pa.) started the first game and lasted five innings, putting down six batters through his own work.
Game One: Newberry 4, USC Aiken 3 – 10 Innings
Neither team was able to get their offenses going in the opening trio of innings in the first game of the day as each team was only able to put a runner into scoring position once over that distance. However, the Pacers would kick off the scoring in the contest in the top of the fourth as they were able to turn in three runs during the frame and take the 3-0 lead.
Newberry responded with a run of their own in the bottom half of the frame as Marine kicked it off with a double down the left field line that moved him into scoring position and a hard ground out by Gibson moved him just 90-feet away. Another hard ground out, this time by sophomore Jonathan Velez (Mayaguez, P.R.) brought Marine across the plate and scored the first run for the Wolves.
Newberry was able to hold the Pacers off the board in the fifth, though they were able to put two more runners into scoring position. The Wolves would bring the margin to within one run in the bottom of the sixth as a triple by sophomore Donovan Ford (Greenville, S.C.) set up a sacrifice fly by Gibson to bring the score to 3-2. A similar situation occurred for the Wolves in the bottom of the eighth as Gibson again knocked a sacrifice fly to plate Ford to tie the score up at three.
Neither team scratched across a run in the ninth forcing the extra innings affair. Baker would mow through the Pacers in the top of the tenth and then the Wolves would kick off the bottom of the inning with Marine getting aboard through a one-out single up the middle of the infield. A defensive miscue on a pick-off attempt moved him over to third where he awaited his turn to score. A hit batter and an intentional walk loaded the bags for the Wolves when Winter knocked his first collegiate hit through the left side of the infield and grabbed the walk-off win for the Wolves, 4-3.
Game Two: Newberry 15, USC Aiken 5
There was no shortage of offense for the Wolves in the second game of the day as they were able to score in each inning of the contest. Though the Pacers were the first to post a run on the board in the top of the first, the Wolves responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the frame as Gibson knocked a triple into right center field that brought around a pair of runs before he himself would cross the plate on the next at bat to take the 3-1 lead.
Roemer took over the mound for the Wolves to start the second and was able to make quick work of the Pacers, switching the offense back to Newberry, who notched three more runs on the board in the bottom of the second. Sophomore Jomar Lugo (San Sebastian, P.R.) tallied an RBI in the frame while a wild pitch and another sacrifice fly by Gibson rounded out the inning for the Wolves to give them the 6-1 advantage.
A three-up three-down inning for USC Aiken would translate into a two-run frame for the Wolves in the third as junior Rhett Jolly (Edgefield, S.C.) and Lugo were each able to record an RBI in the frame, bringing the margin to 8-1. They would add three more in the bottom of the fourth, with all three coming off home run balls. Marine would send a solo shot over the left center field wall on his first pitch of the frame before Winter would strike with a two-run blast to wrap up the frame, his first collegiate home run, giving the Wolves the 11-1 lead.
Newberry only tallied one run in the bottom of the fifth, but added three more runs in the bottom of the sixth to extend their lead out to 15-1. While the Pacers were able to plate four runs in the top of the seventh inning, the Wolves were able to work out of a bases loaded jam to wrap up the eventual 15-5 victory.
The Wolves and Pacers continue their three game weekend series as it carries over to the new week with a 4:00 p.m. trip to Aiken, S.C. on tap for the Wolves on Monday, February 13.
