NEWBERRY — The Newberry College baseball team took their second conference sweep of the season against Wingate this weekend. The Wolves defeated the Bulldogs of Wingate University by the scores of 17-6 and 5-3, respectively.
In game 1, Derek Olenchuk (Irmo), Daymon Totherow (Danville, Va.) and Michael Gonzalez(Wilsonville, Ore.) scored three runs each while Tommy Passerello (Davenport, Fla.) and Jeff Sneed (Cumming, Ga.) scored two runs each.
Jacob Bass (North Augusta), Trejon Smith (Fredricksburg, Va.), Robert Kosch (Clemson) and Danton Hyman (Prosperity) contributed one run each to the win.
As a team the Wolves drove in 14 with Sneed and Totherow driving in three each.
Mike DeLee (Dorchester) got the start logging 6.1 innings. DeLee gave up 10 hits and five runs while tallying six strikeouts. Charlie Fessler (Summerville) gave up two hits and one run while Marshall Rentz (Charleston) got his first win of his career in 2.2 innings on the bump, tallying one strikeout.
Wingate tacked one run on the board in the first with Billings scoring on Krebs’ double to right field.
Newberry answered in the bottom of the third with five runs. Totherow scored the first one on a throwing error by Wingate’s catcher. Passerello then scored on Gonzalez’s triple to right field before Gonzalez crossed home plate on Smith’s double to left center. Smith scored the second to last run of the third inning when Olenchuk reached first on a throwing error made by the shortstop. Sneed ended the third inning sending Olenchuk home on a single to right center.
The score was stuck at 5-1 until the sixth inning when the Bulldogs scored two runs with Little and Brown scoring one each.
Totherow scored Newberry’s lone run in the bottom of the sixth when Bass singled to right center.
Newberry increased its lead in the seventh inning with three runs. Gonzalez, Olenchuk and Sneed all scored one run each off singles.
The Wolves sealed their win in the bottom of the eighth with eight runs scored. Gonzalez started it off when he crossed home on Sneed’s single to left center. Olenchuk and Sneed both scored on Kosch’s single through the right side before Kosch and Hyman was sent home on Totherow’s triple to right center. Bass then singled up the middle sending Totherow home before Bass scored on a Nolan Schrenker (Valrico, Fla.) single. Passerello ended the scoring for Newberry when he crossed home plate on a wild pitch.
In Game 2, Bass, Gonzalez, Olenchuk, Sneed and Totherow scored one run each for the win. Bass, Gonzalez, Hyman, Sneed, and Olenchuk drove one run in each. Zack Kelly (Daleville, Va.) improved to 5-2 on the hill, pitching seven full innings today. Kelly gave up six hits and three runs, and tallied two strikeouts.
The scoreboard was held at 0-0 until the third inning when Wingate tacked two runs on the board. Newberry answered quickly again in the bottom of the third with two runs. Totherow scored the first run on a wild pitch and Bass scored the second run on Gonzalez’s single to center field.
Newberry increased its lead in the fourth to 3-2 when Sneed scored on Bass’s ground out to second base.
Wingate tied the game at 3-3 in the fifth when Billings scored on Little’s single through the right side.
Newberry took the sweep in the fifth inning with two runs, making the score 5-3. Gonzalez scored on Olenchuk’s single up the middle before Hyman doubled to left field to send Olenchuk home.
On Friday, Newberry College senior pitcher Daniel Nations threw the Wolves’ first complete game shutout of the season in Newberry’ 7-0 win over the Wingate Bulldogs.
Nations moved to 5-0 on the year with the complete game shutout with a four-hitter, striking out three and walking two on 101 pitches.
Daymon Totherow went 4-for-4 with two triples and two RBIs. Danton Hyman went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Jacob Bass and Tommy Passerello each had two hits.
Wingate’s Shane Billings went 0-for-4, snapping a streak of 29 straight games reaching base, which dated back to the 2016 season opener.
Nations let his defense do the work behind him, as the Wolves turned double plays to end the second and the third innings after Wingate leadoff baserunners.
The Wolves took the lead in the first after Bass led off with an infield single, stole second, moved to third on a Passerello single and scored on a Michael Gonzalez sacrifice fly.
Totherow pushed the lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the third with his first triple of the night and another infield single from Bass and sacrifice fly by Gonzalez made it a 4-0 game.
Hyman hit a two-out RBI single in the fourth and Derek Olenchuk brought home another run with a two-out RBI double in the fifth. Totherow capped the scoring with his second RBI triple of the night in the bottom of the eighth.
Wingate threatened to score only once, with Matthew Grecco doubling with one out in the sixth, but he was stranded at third. That would be the only Bulldog to reach scoring position all night.
The Wolves travel to Georgia on March 29 to play Georgia College at 4 p.m.