No. 3 Baseball Completes AAC Series Sweep of CIU

Athens, Tenn.- The baseball team, ranked No. 3 in the NAIA, closed the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) series against the Columbia International University Rams with a single game on Friday.

The first inning ended with the Bulldogs leading 2-0. Carson Ford, who got on base via a walk and moved to second on a Chaz Salter single, scored on an Evan Magill RBI single. Standing on third after the hit, Salter scored on an error to give the team a 2-0 lead at the end of the inning.

The next four innings were scoreless, in part due to Blake Peyton throwing a no-hitter through five innings. Dan Sayre recorded a run in the bottom of the fifth, starting a streak that saw TWU score over the next four innings. Sayre doubled to left field and stole third before Ford singled to center to score him, extending the lead to 3-0.

In the bottom of the sixth, Chad Picton got on base via a walk, scoring on Parker Stinnett's double to center field. Stinnett eventually completed his way around the bases, crossing home plate on Andre Tarver's single. Entering the seventh with a 5-0 lead, the Bulldogs moved ahead 6-0 when Sayre scored after a walk and two stolen bases on a Magill-caused error.

The final run of the game came with Stinnett scoring on a Jacob Tolson contact resulting in an error, making the final score 7-0.

Peyton gave up one hit in his time on the mound while striking out nine in the win. Carter Gannaway struck out five batters in 3.2 innings for the save.

The win moved the team's record to 13-0 and 6-0 in the AAC.