MONTREAT, N.C.— The Montreat baseball team completed its three-game series against the Johnson University-Tennessee Royals with two contests at Newell Field on Saturday. Montreat ultimately captured both games by two runs, utilizing 6-4 and 9-7 triumphs over the Royals to sweep the conference set and improve to 14-10 (4-5 AAC) on the year.
Game one featured another great start by
Daniel Willie on the mound. The Ooltewah, Tenn. native was perfect through his first four innings, limiting his pitch count and striking out five Johnson hitters over the span.
Despite Willie's impressive start, it was the visitors who got on the board first with a walk and their first base knock of the day to go up 1-0 in the top of the fifth.
The right-handed pitcher responded with another three-plus frames to silence the Royals until the eighth. Willie finished with 8.1 innings pitched, allowing four earned runs on eight hits, while striking out 12 total Royals.
Using momentum from singles in other innings, the Cavaliers answered offensively with four runs in the bottom of the sixth to lead 4-1. Following a single by
Chase Bruno and two walks to load the bases,
Daniel Wetmore cleared the basepaths with a three-RBI double to the gap in right center.
CJ Mack then drove in Wetmore to make the advantage three.
Montreat continued to push runners across in the seventh with two additional runs scored, going up by five through seven. Two hit batters set the table for an
Elijah Baptist sacrifice fly and an RBI double from
Rafael Padilla to close out the scoring for the Cavaliers.
Although Johnson produced two runs in the eighth and another in the ninth to pull the score to 6-4,
Caden Wright came in with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the final frame and recorded a crucial strikeout to end the two-run competition and register his second save of the season.
Norman Kelly (2-3) and Bell (2-4) both collected multiple hits, while Wetmore (1-4) notched a trio of RBIs.
Game two was a back-and-forth competition with the teams trading leads and deficits.
Johnson (7-11, 1-8 AAC) plated a pair of runs in the top of the first, but the Cavaliers wouldn't take long to respond. In the bottom of the second frame, Wetmore scored
Ashton Hawkins on an RBI groundout before an RBI single by Bell that brought Kelly around knotted the contest at two.
Bell then doubled in Wetmore to kick off a four-run inning for the Cavs in the bottom of the fifth. An RBI double by Bruno and two-RBI single from
Tarik Latchmansingh gave Montreat a 6-2 edge heading into the sixth.
In the second of what would be three consecutive half innings with multiple runs scored, Johnson used a double and two two-run home runs to lead 7-6 over the Cavaliers; however, a three-run frame was in order for the home team in the ensuing bottom half.
Two errors gave Montreat an 8-7 advantage as Padilla and Wetmore came around to score on miscues by the Royals catcher. Bell then registered his third RBI hit of the contest to drive in Kelly and give the Cavs an insurance run in the 9-7 ballgame.
Bell once again tallied multiple hits with a perfect 3-for-3 showing at the plate as the Miami, Fla. native recorded three RBIs. Latchmansingh drove in two, while Wetmore and Kelly each scored twice.
Noah Christopher, who pitched 5.1 innings, surrendered only six hits and four earned runs, striking out five in the process.
Robert Fernandez pitched out of a jam to get the win in the sixth, and Wright picked up his third save in five days with an inning's work in the top of the seventh.
The baseball team now travels to Carolina University for a non-conference twin bill on Tuesday. First pitch of game one is slated for 2:00 p.m.
