MONTREAT, N.C.— The Montreat baseball team faced a stiff test in the No. 3 team in the NAIA as the Cavaliers hosted the Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs Thursday afternoon for the first game of their 3-game Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) set at Newell Field. Thanks to another great pitching performance and five home runs, the Cavs handed the Bulldogs (35-7, 24-1 AAC) their first conference loss of the season, a 9-3 final, improving to 26-18 (14-10 AAC) and defeating TWU for the first time in over a decade in the process.
 
Both pitchers got out of jams in the first frame before the Cavaliers plated single runs in each of the ensuing three innings. Daniel Wetmore led off the bottom of the second with a solo shot to break the ice prior to AJ Barrios following suit with his first collegiate bomb to double the home side's advantage in the third. The Cavs made it three consecutive trips to the plate with a run scored when Elijah Baptist doubled down the third base line, scoring Zeb Marquis and expanding the Montreat edge to 3-0 through four.
 
Meanwhile, Case Jaworski dealt on the mound. The redshirt sophomore surrendered just two hits over his first seven innings of work, including a stretch where he retired nine straight and struck out the side.
 
Home runs continued to fly over the fence for the Cavaliers, who hit another pair of solo jacks in the fifth to extend the lead to 5-0. With two gone in the frame, Caleb Abshier went yard to center before Tarik Latchmansingh made it back-to-back homers, sending a ball over the wall in right center as the Cavs led by five through as many innings.
 
Latchmansingh then gave Montreat all the insurance it would need late in the matchup. After the first three batters reached safely in the bottom of the seventh, Latchmansingh blasted his second homer of the game and team-leading 11^th longball of the season, a grand slam to right center, increasing the Cavalier lead to nine.
 
Jaworski finished his impressive day on the mound with a season-high 15 strikeouts over eight innings of work. He walked just one and the lone blemishes of his showing were a pair of late solo shots by TWU as Jaworski allowed a mere five hits to improve to 6-3 on the year. The Highland, Mich. native now sits tied for the most strikeouts in the NAIA with 110.
 
"Case Jaworski really stepped up. This was definitely one of the best outings he's had all year. He stayed cool and collected for us out there on the mound," mentioned head coach Jason Beck.
 
Tyler Best closed out the game on the mound, giving up one hit and one run while striking out a batter as he sealed the Cavs' first win over Tennessee Wesleyan in their last 32 tries. The Cavaliers' last victory over the Bulldogs came exactly 11 years ago to the day when the Cavs captured a 4-3 final.
 
Offense also shined for Montreat, who recorded 14 hits and nearly ended the matchup via the mercy rule in the seventh. Barrios had one of the best contests of his young career, going 4-for-5 at the dish with a pair of runs scored in the 6-run win. Latchmansingh (2-5), Wetmore (2-4) and Baptist (2-3) all joined Barrios with multiple base knocks, while Latchmansingh drove in five runs.
 
"We had some timely hitting, and guys stuck to the gameplan from beginning to end. I'm proud of these guys. They showed the conference that they're here and they're ready," noted Beck. "[The guys] want to have a good year, and they've continued to do that. This was a huge win for us against one of the best teams in the country. We're really happy for that, and I'm thrilled to see the smiles going around the dugout," he concluded.
 
Baseball now completes its AAC series with the Bulldogs with a doubleheader tomorrow. First pitch of game one in Montreat, N.C. is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.