EMORY, Va.— In a road non-conference doubleheader against NCAA Division II Emory & Henry College, the Montreat baseball team came away with two victories, notching a 14-8 win in a high-scoring affair before completing the sweep with a 4-2 triumph in game two. With the pair of wins, the Cavaliers improved to 11-10 on the season.
As the teams settled into the initial game, it was Montreat who struck first, utilizing a crooked number in the top of the second inning to open the scoring. The Cavaliers jumped out to a 4-0 lead over the Wasps thanks to a trio of hits. Following hits by
Ashton Hawkins and
Daniel Wetmore,
Norman Kelly powered his second home run of the year to center to put the Cavs up 3-0.
Luis Ramos then walked and stole second before a throwing error plated the Lakeland, Fla. native.
Emory & Henry (3-8) responded with two home runs to trim the Montreat advantage to just one by the end of the third frame, but the Cavaliers answered with a six-spot in the fourth. Kelly came around to score on a wild pitch before
Chase Bruno drove home
Michael Bell with a sacrifice fly.
Tarik Latchmansingh and Hawkins then went back-to-back, launching home runs over the fence to complete the six-run frame and put the Cavaliers up 10-3.
After two Wasps runs in the bottom of the inning, a double by Bell scored Kelly to restore a six-run advantage for the visitors through four and a half innings. Though Emory & Henry crept closer with a trio of scores in the fifth, Montreat answered with three in the seventh to close the game out. Bell, who ended game one 3-for-4 at the plate, hit a solo shot to left center, and Hawkins drove home both
Nicholas Robinson and
Rafael Padilla to seal the Cavs' 14-8 triumph.
The middle of the Cavalier lineup powered the offense, as the three through seven spots accounted for all 11 of Montreat's base knocks. Four Cavs joined Bell in collecting multiple hits on the afternoon as Hawkins (3-5), Kelly (2-4) and Wetmore (2-5) tallied at least two hits, while Hawkins (3) and Kelly (3) led the team in RBIs.
Game two featured much less offense as the squads were both held scoreless through nearly three full innings of the seven-inning competition.
A sacrifice fly got the home team on the board first in the bottom of the third; however, the Cavaliers immediately answered in the ensuing half-inning. Following a single by Bruno, Bell launched another ball over the fence to give the visitors a 2-1 advantage. Montreat, who had struck out seven times through the opening three frames, notched four hits in the fourth alone to go up in the game.
Despite a game-tying play by the Wasps in the fifth that knotted the matchup at two, the Cavs were not deterred, responding with a pair of runs that would seal the contest in Montreat's favor. After a walk by Hawkins and a double from Wetmore, Latchmansingh hit a ball into the middle of the defense that scored Hawkins and gave the Cavaliers a 3-2 edge. Wetmore then scored on a wild pitch to conclude the scoring portion of the game as the Cavs pitching staff completed the two-run win.
Though Montreat was outhit 8-5 in the latter game, none of the Cavaliers' three pitchers gave up more than a single run.
Brandon Russell, who got the start, went 3.1 innings and allowed a run on four hits, while
Hunter Smith pitched 2.2 innings in relief, surrendering just one run on three hits.
Caden Wright relieved Smith with a frame on work, giving up only one hit.
Baseball now hosts Johnson University-Tennessee for a three-game conference series beginning on Friday. First pitch at Newell Field is currently scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
