No. 6 Baseball Splits AAC Opener Against Montreat

ATHENS, Tenn.- The baseball team, ranked No. 6 in the NAIA, played their first home games of the season on Friday. The doubleheader against the Montreat College Cavaliers also represented the team's first Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) contests. 

Game One:

The first run of the game came in the form of a Braxton Turner solo home run. Shortly after, the bases became loaded with Marco Martinez, Jack Stevens, and Cayle Webster occupying the bases. A wild pitch moved each runner a base with Martinez crossing home plate to make the score 2-0. A passed ball gave Stevens the space to score, and the inning ended with the Bulldogs leading 3-0.

Blake Hubble and Turner stood on base as the team looked to score more runs. Two outs were recorded before Stevens hit a double, bringing both the base runners to home plate to extend the lead to 5-0 after two innings. TWU added to the lead in the fourth inning.

The bases were loaded in the fourth inning as Turner, Martinez, and Stevens stood on the bags. Webster came to the dish and hit a ball to right field that allowed Turner and Martinez to score, moving the lead to 7-0. Montreat scored a run in the fifth inning to cut the lead down to six.

The nine-inning game came to an end in the seventh inning due to the run-rule. After two hits got Hubble and Turner on base, Cody McGill hit a ball to right field that Hubble scored on but caught Turner out at second, moving the score to 8-1. A stolen base moved McGill to second and two walks, one by Martinez and the other by Stevens, loaded the bases. Carson Ford brought McGill home with his sacrifice fly. Webster ended the game with his three-run blast over the left field wall, enacting the run-rule as the team led 12-1.

Webster led the team with five RBIs. Sam Rochard was credited with the pitching win, striking out six batters.

Game Two:

TWU found themselves in a 2-0 hole after the second inning of the second game. One swing in the fourth inning changed the game.

Webster brought the change, tying the game 2-2 with a two-run home that brought Stevens across home plate as well. In the fifth inning, Turner gave the Bulldogs the lead with his second solo home run of the day, this one giving Tennessee Wesleyan a 3-2 lead. Unfortunately, the lead did not hold for the Bulldogs as Montreat scored five runs between the sixth and seventh inning to win the game 7-3.

Blake Peyton had 11 strikeouts in five innings in the start on the mound.

TWU (5-5, 1-1 AAC) will look to clinch the series with the remaining game on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.