MARION, N.C.— The Montreat baseball team hosted the Mid-Atlantic Christian University Mustangs in a non-conference doubleheader on Friday in Marion, N.C., sweeping both games by a combined score of 20-4. The pair of victories moved the Cavaliers to 5-0 on the season, their best start to a season in 18-plus years.
Mid-Atlantic Christian University (0-2) opened game one with a productive half-inning, bringing home a leadoff double with an RBI single to left field. That half-inning proved to be the only damage Montreat starting pitcher
Daniel Willie suffered through his five innings pitched. Willie scattered seven hits across five innings, striking out five batters en route to his second win in two starts.
Alongside Willie's outing was the Cavaliers' offensive response to MACU's run, which came swiftly. Montreat's first five hitters reached base safely, with
Rafael Padilla,
Tarik Latchmansingh and
Daniel Wetmore combining to drive in four runs on two singles and a ground-rule double.
Luis Ramos capped off Montreat's five-run first inning at the plate with an RBI fielder's choice.
Montreat's offense was in a groove early, putting up a crooked number on the scoreboard in each of the first four innings. In the second, that crooked number came via a two-run jack to left field off the bat of Latchmansingh. In the third inning, the Cavs scored two runs thanks to a
Ryan Pereda RBI single and a wild pitch that brought Pereda home. Lastly, in the fourth inning, Montreat piled on an additional six runs—
Will Cheek drove in a run on a double to deep center,
Chase Bruno brought a run home on a single through the left side, an error allowed
Norman Kelly to score and Padilla lifted a three-run homer to right.
MACU added a run on a single in the sixth inning, but the Cavs' offense did more than enough damage as it teamed up with Willie's stellar performance to defeat the Mustangs, 16-2.
Game two of the doubleheader turned out to be more of a pitcher's duel, with both
Noah Christopher and MACU's starter doing their best to limit baserunners. Christopher clearly had his pitches working early, throwing four 1-2-3 innings through six while allowing just a single run on three hits. Meanwhile, Montreat's offense found ways to push a few runs across against Mid-Atlantic Christian.
Padilla drove in a run on a sacrifice fly to deep center field in the bottom half of the first inning. Kelly then doubled down the right field line to double Montreat's lead, 2-0, through one inning of play.
After MACU pushed a run across in the second inning, the Cavaliers added some helpful insurance runs in the third and fifth innings. In the third, a double steal by Padilla and Latchmansingh, coupled with a throwing error by the MACU catcher, allowed Montreat's third run to cross home plate. Then, in the fifth inning, Latchmansingh hit his second rocket of the day, homering to left field to push the Cavs' lead to 4-1.
The Mustangs added a run on a homer in the seventh inning, but otherwise Christopher stymied the MACU offense. Christopher closed his night with a complete-game victory, delivering seven innings on the mound while allowing just five hits and two runs.
Five Cavaliers tallied multiple hits across the two wins on Friday. Latchmansingh went 4-for-6 with two home runs, five runs scored and three RBIs. Padilla tallied three hits in five at-bats, driving in six runs while scoring three himself. The trio of Pereda, Bruno and Wetmore also registered multi-hit days, combining for eight hits, seven runs and three RBIs.
The Cavaliers host Mid-Atlantic Christian again on Saturday for a doubleheader at Big League Camp in Marion, N.C. First pitch of game one is currently set for 12:00 p.m.
