Courtesy of Newberry College Athletics
NEWBERRY — The No. 9 Newberry College (25-5, 10-2 SAC) baseball team was able to take the series over Carson-Newman with a split of the Saturday doubleheader.
The Wolves picked up the 4-0 win in the opener before dropping a 6-3 decision in the nightcap.
Junior Jacob LeBron (Lexington) picked up a pair of RBIs in the early game while going 4-for-5 at the dish while adding a third RBI in the late game. Junior Henry Gibson (Walterboro) was able to turn in an RBI in each of the two contests on the day while sophomore Donovan Ford (Greenville) knocked in a run in game two.
Sophomore Ethan LeBron (Lexington), junior Colm O’Shea (Sunnyside, N.Y.) and senior Joe LaFiora (Philadelphia, Pa.) combined for a shutout in the first game of the day, keeping the Eagles off the scoreboard while allowing just nine hits.
Game One:
A pitcher’s duel took place over the first four innings of the opening contest of the day as though each team recorded multiple hits over the course, the pitchers for each side were able to keep working through the trouble they caused and kept both teams off the scoreboard. It wasn’t until the bottom of the fifth when Newberry was finally able to post what was eventually marked as the game-winning run.
The inning was started with a hit batter before he was pushed over into scoring position by a sacrifice bunt by Ford. A wild pith moved the runner just 90 feet away and would trot the final distance with a RBI-single by LeBron through the middle to give the Wolves the 1-0 lead.
The Wolves added another three runs to the their tally in the bottom of the sixth on a pair of singles and a run walked in to increase their lead to 4-0. O’Shea and LaFiora were able to work through the remainder of the contest on the mound, shutting down the Eagles offense and wrapping up the shout victory.
Game Two:
The Wolves were able to start the second game of the day on a quicker foot offensively as they were able to pick up a pair of runs in the bottom of the first as Ford led the inning off with a lead-off single before being driven in just one batter later by a double from LeBron. A hard ground-out by Gibson following a failed pick-off attempt brought LeBron around to the plate and gave Newberry the 2-0 advantage.
The bottom of the third inning would be where the Wolves furthered their lead by an additional run as Ford blasted a rocket over the left field fence into the retaining pond beyond the fence to give the Wolves the three-run advantage. However, the Eagles climbed back into the contest and brought it level in the top of the fifth as they were able to plate a trio of runs in the frame.
The Eagles added another trio of runs to the scoreboard in the top of the seventh and while the Wolves were able to get a runner aboard in the bottom of the frame, they were unable to plate any runs, drawing the 6-3 loss in the series finale.