CLEVELAND, Ga.— The Montreat baseball team continued its series against the Truett McConnell University Bears on Saturday, playing a pair of Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) contests in Cleveland, Ga. While the Cavaliers exploded for 13 runs to take game one by a score of 13-5, the visitors were defeated in game two, 8-3, moving their record on the season to 19-15 (6-9 AAC).
 
Game one saw the hosts open the scoring in the bottom of the first frame. After Montreat starter Daniel Willie retired the first two Bears batters, four consecutive two-out hits pushed two runs across home plate to inch Truett McConnell in front by a score of 2-0.
 
The Cavaliers answered quickly, scoring four runs of their own in the second inning to take a 4-2 lead. Norman Kelly singled in Tarik Latchmansingh for Montreat's first run of the ballgame, and Jeff Cardazzone roped a single into left field to score another two Cavaliers. Daniel Wetmore finished off Montreat's four-run second inning with an RBI single, also to left field.
 
Truett McConnell (14-11, 8-7 AAC) scored its third two-out run of game one in the bottom of the second, trimming their newfound deficit to 4-3.
 
After a few scoreless innings against Willie, the Bears retook the lead with more two-out runs. An RBI single and an RBI double to right field suddenly pushed the hosts back in front of the Cavaliers, 5-4, with all their runs coming with two outs.
 
Despite trailing after five frames, the Cavaliers stuck to their gameplan, and it paid off with three massive innings at the dish.
 
Latchmansingh delivered his eighth home run of the season in the seventh inning to leapfrog Truett McConnell and put the Cavaliers back on top, 6-5. Then, in the eighth frame, the Cavs tacked on five insurance runs thanks to a Wetmore sacrifice fly, a two-run error and another two-run blast off the bat of Latchmansingh. Montreat padded its lead out to 13-5 with a pair of additional runs on a wild pitch and an error in the ninth, erasing almost any hope of a TMU comeback.
 
Meanwhile, Willie settled in on the mound and kept the Bears off the scoreboard in his final three innings of work. The Ooltewah, Tenn. native pitched eight innings for the Cavaliers, striking out eight en route to his sixth win of the season. Chase Swygert threw a scoreless inning in relief to seal the 13-5 victory.
 
Latchmansingh, who leads Montreat with nine home runs and 34 RBIs, batted 3-for-5 in the opener with two homers, three runs scored and four runs driven in. Rafael Padilla (2-3), Chase Bruno (2-5) and Kelly (2-4) joined Latchmansingh with multi-hit performances. Cardazzone and Wetmore each recorded two RBIs in the win.
 
The Cavaliers had opportunities to score early in game two, but despite placing two runners on base in each of the first two innings, Montreat couldn't produce that final run-scoring hit.
 
Meanwhile, Truett McConnell filled the basepaths in the opening innings, recording 17 baserunners through the initial four frames. Those 17 runners, coupled with a 9-for-18 showing with men on base, aided the Bears as they scored eight runs to lead 8-0 through four.
 
Montreat registered its first tally of game two in the top of the fifth inning. Caden Wright pieced together a one-out pinch-hit double in the frame and eventually came around to score on Bruno's single to right field.
 
The Cavaliers then tacked on a pair of runs in the sixth after loading the bases with no outs. A double play plated OJ Borroto, and a wild pitch scored Latchmansingh to bring Montreat within five runs (8-3).
 
Hunter Smith and Dayton Woods each pitched a scoreless inning of relief to keep the hosts quiet over the final few frames, but the Cavaliers couldn't overcome their early 8-0 hole as they fell to Truett McConnell in game two, 8-3.
 
Latchmansingh and Michael Bell both went 2-for-3 at the plate, while Bruno and Wright recorded the Cavaliers' two other hits in game two.
 
The Montreat baseball team returns to Newell Field on Friday for the start of a three-game series against the Columbia International University Rams. First pitch is slated for 3:00 p.m. in Montreat, N.C.