Courtesy of Newberry College Athletics
HICKORY, N.C. – Needing just one win to secure the regular season South Atlantic Conference title, the No. 16 Newberry College (36-9, 19-4 SAC) baseball team did that and more as they picked up a three-game sweep of the No. 20 Lenoir-Rhyne University Bears with a pair of wins in a doubleheader on Saturday, April 22.
Junior Rhett Jolly (Edgefield) led the Wolves in the opening contest as he was able to post three RBIs on the board while junior Henry Gibson (Walterboro) posted a pair of RBIs in the second game. Five other Wolves were able to post RBIs on the day, including sophomore Donovan Ford (Greenville) who posted one of two home runs on the day, the other coming off the bat of Gibson.
The Newberry bullpen was successful in the opening game as junior Colm O’Shea (Sunnyside, N.Y.) picked up the win with sophomore Trevor Linaman (Wellford) picking up the save in the contest. Senior Bryce Peterson (Coon Rapids, Minn.) also provided two innings of shut out ball in relief of freshman starter Bennet Roemer (Bluffton). Sophomore Tyler Chinpire (Jupiter, Fla.) pitched a gem in the second game with a six-inning showing while allowing just one run. Senior Joe LaFiora (Philadelphia, Pa.) shut down the Bears with a pair of strikeouts in his save in the night cap to secure the win for the Wolves.
Game One:
Lenoir-Rhyne was able to get on the board first in the bottom of the opening frame, but that lead only lasted a half inning as the Wolves were able to post a pair of runs on the board in the top of the second. A defensive miscue set Newberry up with a runner on base and sophomore Kade Faircloth (Oviedo, Fla.) was able to drive him to third with a double, leaving two runners in scoring position. A hard ground out by Jolly plated the first run of the inning for the Wolves and a single by freshman Brody Winter (Anderson) brought around the second to give the Wolves the 2-1 lead.
The Bears were able to level the score again in the bottom of the second, but Newberry responded with their biggest inning of the game, turning in four runs in the top of the third. A single followed by a walk that was sandwiched around a pair of hit batters saw the first run of the frame cross the plate, leaving the Wolves with the bases loaded and no outs. Two singles and a fielder’s choice over the remainder of the inning left the Wolves with a 6-2 advantage. A double steal that worked to score a run in the top of the fourth increased that advantage to 7-2.
A three-run shot in the bottom of the fourth brought the Bears back to within two runs, but O’Shea was able to come in and work out of the jam. The Wolves continued to provide run support to their bullpen as they were able to add two more runs on the board in the fifth. Lenoir-Rhyne was able to add one run in the bottom of the fifth and would score the next run of the contest in the bottom of the seventh, closing the gap to 9-7. The Wolves turned in one more run in the contest while Linaman shut the Bears down over the remainder of the game, securing the 10-7 win and the regular season title.
Game Two:
The Wolves jumped out to an early lead in the late game with a two-run shot by Gibson in the opening inning while the Bears were able to add the lone run of the second game for them to their tally with an RBI single to leave the score at 2-1 after the first. The pitching staffs went to work in the second, allowing just one runner between the two-half innings before Newberry was able to break the out streak with a solo shot to left field by Ford to increase the lead to 3-1.
Another run for the Wolves crossed the plate in the top of the fourth as the pitchers for both teams continued to make it hard for either offense to scratch across runs. In the end, it was the Newberry pitching staff that proved to be the better of the two as they only allowed a single runner past second base after allowing the lone run in the second as Chinpire only allowed six hits in the game. LaFiora struck his first batter in the seventh before a ground out and a single was recorded by the Bears. He was able then able to strike out his final opponent to secure the weekend sweep.
The Wolves will now enter the SAC Championship with the top seed, hosting a four-team double elimination regional style tournament to determine which of those teams will take a trip to Sevierville, Tenn. for the championship series. More information on the Wolves upcoming opponent and the tournament bracket will be released soon on NewberryWolves.com