NEWBERRY, S.C. – Needing just a single victory on the day to secure their spot in the South Atlantic Conference tournament championship series in a week, the No. 10 Newberry College (39-9) baseball team did it in their first game of the day as they took down the Bears of Lenoir-Rhyne for the fifth time in two weekends by a score of 7-6 at the Smith Road Complex on Sunday, April 30.
Senior Bryce Peterson (Coon Rapids, Minn.) picked up the win on the mound for the Wolves in a weekend that featured stellar pitching all around from the Newberry staff. Sophomore Tyler Chinpire (Jupiter, Fla.) started the contest, allowing just three runs in four innings of work while junior Gunnar Erickson (Chapin, S.C.) only allowed a trio as well in just over three innings.
Senior Braylin Marine (Freeport, N.Y.), junior Rhett Jolly (Edgefield, S.C.) and sophomores Kade Faircloth (Ovideo, Fla.) and Jesse Free (Moncks Corner, S.C.) each recorded an RBI in the contest. Faircloth, junior Henry Gibson (Walterboro, S.C.) and sophomore Donovan Ford (Greenville, S.C.) were each able to record a pair of hits in the contest.
Returning to their rightful place as the home team on the scoreboard, the Wolves were able to post a pair of runs in the bottom of the opening frame. A lead-off single followed by a defensive miscue left Ford sitting just 90 feet away on the first batter of the frame. Marine knocked a single up the middle to plate him and found his way around to the plate later in the inning on a single by Faircloth that brought the score to 2-0.
Lenoir-Rhyne stuck back with a single run in the top of the second, and then each team went silent on the scoreboard until the Bears were able to take their first lead of the contest with three runs in the top of the fifth. Newberry was able to equal that mark in the bottom of the frame as a combination of defensive miscues, walks, stolen bases and wild pitches plated three runs for the Wolves in the bottom of the fifth, returning the lead to the home team 5-4.
The Bears added a pair of runs in the top of the eighth inning to take their second lead of the day, however the Wolves were again up to the task as they matched that effort in the bottom half of the inning. A sacrifice bunt attempt went awry for the Bears as they sailed the throw to first base, bringing around a run and leaving a runner at third. A wild pitch again would break the Bears back and give the Wolves the lead for the final time in the contest as Peterson was able to retire the Bears in the top of the ninth in four batter and give the Wolves the 7-6 victory.
Newberry will now travel to Kodak, Tenn. to the home of the Tennessee Smokies as they take on Lincoln Memorial in a best-of-three series to decide the SAC Tournament champion. First game of the series is set for 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 7 with games two and three on Monday, May 8 at 12/3:30 p.m.
