No. 3 Baseball Sweeps Doubleheader Against CIU

Athens, Tenn.- Due to the weather forecast, the No. 3 baseball team returned to the field on short rest to begin a conference series. The Rams of Columbia International University were in town for a three-game Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) series, starting with a doubleheader on Thursday.

Game One:

The first run of the game went on the board in the second inning. Unfortunately, it went toward the Rams' score. The opponents held on to their lead until the sixth inning.

In the sixth inning, TWU scored seven runs to take control of the game. Cayle Webster started the movement towards the lead with a walk, scoring from first on an Andre Tarver double. An error allowed Tarver to move to third, scoring on a Preston Welchel single to give the team a 2-1 lead. After a bunt single by Dan Sayre, Welchel scored from second on Carson Ford's double. Braxton Turner brought Sayre home with a ground out, and Ford scored on an Evan Magill RBI single to make the score 5-1. Parker Stinnett added two more runs for the Bulldogs with his home run, moving the score to 7-1 after the sixth.

The offense added two more runs in the seventh inning. After a Tarver double, a double by Sayre scored the base runner to extend the lead to eight runs. Ford recorded his second RBI of the game with his single scoring Sayre, making the scoreboard read 9-1. The game came to end in the eighth inning, an inning early.

After the opponents scored a run in the top of the eighth, the Bulldogs saw Stinnett get on base with a hit by pitch. Cody McGill put runners on the corners for TWU with his single moving Stinnett to third. A double by Tarver scored Stinnett and moved McGill to third to make the score 10-2. A ground out on Aiden McClary's at-bat scored McGill from third. The final run of the game came when Tarver scored on an error caused by Sayre, forcing the end of the game with the 10-run mercy rule in effect after the seventh inning as the scoreboard read 12-2.

Robert Kelley had four strikeouts in the win while Sam Rochard had three strikeouts in relief. Ford, Stinnett, and Tarver each had two RBIs.

Game Two:

Every inning of the scheduled seven-inning second game had a run scored in game two. The first run came across for the Bulldogs when Welchel scored on a Ford sacrifice fly on a double and Sayre single. Columbia International matched the score in the top of the second.

In the bottom of the second, a double by Webster turned into a run by Webster after a McGill single to give TWU the lead back at 2-1. In the third, the Bulldogs moved the lead to 3-1 when Welchel, getting on via a double, scored on Magill's single. The tide changed momentarily as Columbia International scored three runs in the fourth to take a 4-3 lead. Tennessee Wesleyan took the lead back in the fifth.

With Stinnett standing on second after a walk and stolen base, Webster belted a ball over the wall for a two-run home run to give the team a 5-4 advantage. The score became tied in the sixth though as the Rams scored a run in the sixth.

Stinnett opened the seventh inning with a walk, quickly moving to second on a stolen base as the team looked for the game-winning run. Stinnett got to third on a ground out by Webster and came across the plate on Chad Picton's walk-off RBI single to give the Bulldogs the 6-5 win.

Gage Vailes had three strikeouts in the start on the mound while Kyle Bloor was credited with the win, finishing with four strikeouts in two innings. Webster led with two RBIs.

The wins moved the team's record to 12-0 overall and 5-0 in the AAC.