MONTREAT, N.C.— The Montreat baseball team split its final two contests at Newell Field Wednesday afternoon, dropping game one to the Emory & Henry College Wasps by a score of 8-4 before bouncing back to take game two in a major way, 14-1. With the results, the Cavaliers moved to 26-21 on the year, marking the winningest season for the Cavs under head coach Jason Beck.
 
In game one, the Wasps got on the board quickly, plating four runs with two gone in the top of the first. Montreat notched a run of its own thanks to a solo home run in the bottom of the second from Tarik Latchmansingh, his 13^th of the season, to cut the deficit to three.
 
The two-out production continued for the visitors in the opening game as Emory & Henry created additional opportunities to expand its advantage in the third with two outs. The Wasps used a single, a balk and an error on a fielder's choice to grow the lead to six (7-1).
 
Montreat then rebounded with three runs in the bottom of the frame due to a pair of RBI hits. Daniel Wetmore brought around Rafael Padilla and Will Cheek on a double to right center, while OJ Borroto singled in Wetmore to make the score 7-4 through three.
 
The pitchers on the mound for each team then settled in, allowing only one combined run for the remaining four innings. Emory & Henry, who finished the game 6-for-13 with two outs, added an insurance run with a single in the seventh to put the game away.
 
Latchmansingh (2-4) and Borroto (2-3) ended game one with multiple hits, and Hunter Smith pitched an effective 4.1 frames in relief, giving up just four hits and one earned run.
 
Game two featured much more offense from the Cavaliers in the early going, scoring at least two runs in the first four innings.
 
After E&H tallied one run in the top of the first, Montreat responded with a plethora of offense. The Cavs plated four in the bottom of the frame fueled by four hits and two errors by the Wasps. After Wetmore knotted the game at one with an RBI groundout, Michael Bell cleared the juiced bases with a three-run double to left center to make it 4-1 in favor of the home team.
 
The Cavaliers continued to rack up the runs in the following innings, using two runs in both the second and third, in addition to another three in the fourth, to lead by 10 (11-1). In the second, the Cavs scored on a Padilla double and a double play ball. In the third, Bell notched his second RBI hit, a single to right, while Kelly plated Bell with an RBI groundout. A double down the right field line from Borroto drove in Wetmore from first before a wild pitch and an RBI single by Chase Bruno ended the scoring through four.
 
Despite 13 hits through four, the Cavalier offense was not done. In the sixth, Ashton Hawkins launched a ball over the right field fence to plate three and wrap up a phenomenal second competition. In game two, five Cavs recorded multiple base knocks en route to producing 15 hits to the visitors' seven.
 
Ten different Montreat hitters registered a hit, eight scored runs and seven plated at least one. Borroto and Bruno each went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Kelly was 2-for-5 with three runs and an RBI. Bell concluded the latter contest 2-for-3 with a run scored and a team-high four RBIs. The potent Cavalier offense went 11-for-24 with runners on, 6-for-18 with runners in scoring position and 5-for-12 with two outs.
 
On the mound, Brandon Russell picked up the win by throwing five innings and allowing a sole earned run on six hits. Dayton Woods came in to pitch the sixth, surrendering one base hit, while Ryan Rockwell closed the door on the Wasps with a perfect seventh frame.
 
Baseball wraps up non-conference play with two contests at Big League Camp in Marion, N.C. on Friday. Game one, a matchup against Fisher College, is slated for 2:00 p.m., while game two, a faceoff versus No. 11 Georgia Gwinnett, is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.