MARION, N.C.— The Montreat baseball team hosted the final game of a three-game series against the Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs on Friday. The Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) contest was played at Big League Camp in Marion, N.C. On Thursday, the Bulldogs took both games in the doubleheader; however in the series closer, the Cavaliers won in comeback fashion by a score of 9-8.
The affair quickly went lopsided when the Bulldogs put six runs on the scoreboard in the first inning. A three-run homer to left field helped the Bulldogs pull away. Starting on the mound,
Dawson Yokley only managed one out while on the job. He surrendered five runs on three hits and a walk while hitting one batter. The Bulldogs only scored two more runs in the rest of the competition.
In the fourth inning with two runners on,
Jason Brulport brought in
Manny Moore on a groundout. With the very next batter,
Dawson Bryant singled to the left side, guiding in
Blake Watts. The timely hits brought some hope to the Cavs. Montreat also scored in the following frame when
Zeb Marquis came home as Jadier Morelos reached on a fielder's choice to the shortstop.
Hunter Rast came in to hurl the final three innings and dazzled for the Cavs. Rast didn't give up a single hit or run while striking out five Bulldogs.
The seventh inning was where the game was flipped on its head. The Cavaliers came back with five runs in the frame. A clutch two-out ground-rule double from
Blake Watts ushered in two runs. With the scores, Montreat trailed by only three.
Tommy Ramos came in to pinch-hit for Brulport and made it count. Ramos slammed a three-run bomb to tie the game at 8-8.
Zeb Marquis led off the eighth with a double that put the Cavs in scoring position right away. After a bunt pushed Marquis to third, Morelos was hit by a pitch. On the first pitch of the next at-bat, a throwing error from the Bulldog catcher allowed Marquis to trot home for the eventual winning run.
The Cavs notched 14 hits in the performance. Watts went 4-for-4 in the contest with two doubles.
Justin Austin, Morelos and Marquis all hit doubles as well. Marquis and Watts each had two RBIs in their nine innings.
The Cavaliers will travel to Cleveland, Ga. next weekend on Feb. 21-22 to face another AAC opponent in the Truett McConnell University Bears.
