EMORY, Va. – The No. 8 Newberry College (29-5, 13-2 SAC) baseball team secured another series sweep against league opponents while also giving head coach Russell Triplett his 377th and 378th wins with a doubleheader sweep of Emory & Henry on Sunday, April 2. These wins now move Triplett to the all-time win leader among head coaches in Newberry baseball history.
Senior Braylin Marine (Freeport, N.Y.) recorded a trio of RBIs in each contest to lead the Wolves on the day while freshman Brody Winter (Anderson, S.C.) drove in four between the two contests. Sophomore Kade Faircloth (Oviedo, Fla.) drove in a pair in the night cap. Sophomore Ethan LeBron (Lexington, S.C.) picked up the win for the Wolves in the opening game on the mound while sophomore Trevor Linaman (Wellford, S.C.) posted his second win of the season with an impressive relief outing in the second game.
Game One: Newberry 9, Emory & Henry 6
A pitcher's dual kicked off the game for the first two innings as neither squad was able to bring a runner around the base path as they were scoreless after two. The top of the third would see the first runs of the game as a single, a defensive miscue and a stolen base moved two runners into scoring position for Marine to knock a two RBI-double to left field, bringing around both runs and giving Newberry the 2-0 lead. The Wasps were able to equal the task in the bottom of the frame to pull back even at two.
Winter was able to record an RBI in the fourth with a double down the left field line that brought around the third run of the game for the Wolves as Marine added another run to the tally in the top of the fifth, extending the lead to 4-2. Another two runs found their way onto the scoreboard in the top of the sixth as an RBI-single by sophomore Jomar Lugo (San Sebastian, P.R.) and a sacrifice fly by sophomore Donovan Ford (Greenville, S.C.) lifted the Wolves lead to 6-2.
The teams traded a pair of runs in the seventh inning while the Wolves were able to post an additional run in the top of the ninth that was sandwiched by single runs in the bottom of the eighth and ninth innings, securing the 9-6 win for Newberry to secure the series.
Game Two: Newberry 10, Emory & Henry 2
Heading into the final game of the series looking for the sweep, the bid did not look good early in the contest as after Marine blasted a moonshot to left field, the Wasps were able to post a pair of runs on the board in the bottom half of the inning and that's where the score would stand until the top of the fourth when the Wolves were able to pull back even with the Wasps with a sacrifice fly, bringing the score to 2-2.
The Wolves were able to get the bats going in the top of the fifth as they added a pair of runs to their tally with a hard ground out and an RBI single by Marine that gave the Wolves their first lead of the contest and lifted their advantage to 4-2. Newberry scored one run in the top of the sixth as the Wasps were able to keep them within striking distance in the frame, but the Wolves put themselves out of the reach of their opponents in the top of the seventh as they posted five runs on the board in the frame and wrapped up the 10-2 final score.
The Wolves now turn their attention to Erskine College on Tuesday, April 4 as they head to Due West, S.C. for a 2:00 p.m. first pitch.
