Courtesy of Newberry College Athletics
NEWBERRY — On a celebratory Senior Day at the Smith Road Complex, Newberry Baseball capped off a doubleheader sweep of Anderson with a 5-4 win in game two after a big 3-2 win in game one. The Wolves used timely hitting, great starts from the pitching staff, and a solid defensive effort to secure the series sweep after winning game one 8-5 on Friday night.
Game One: Newberry 3, Anderson 2
Trailing 2-1 after the sixth, Newberry struck in back-to-back innings to change the game. Jesse Free blasted a solo home run to left in the seventh to tie it, and Jonathan Velez came through with a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth to give the Wolves the lead for good. Velez finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs, continuing his red-hot stretch at the plate.
Kade Faircloth went 2-for-4 and scored a run, while Wilson Wages tripled and also crossed the plate. Ethan LeBron earned the win on the mound, going 8.2 strong innings with two strikeouts and just two runs allowed. Wyatt Carey locked down the final out in relief, holding the Trojans scoreless and earning the save..
Newberry outhit Anderson 11-5 and overcame three defensive errors thanks to clutch hitting and a strong showing from the pitching staff.
Game Two: Newberry 5, Anderson 4
Newberry struck early and answered every challenge, scoring in three of the first five innings to outlast Anderson in the series finale. Velez delivered again with two RBIs, including a run-scoring groundout in the fifth that helped Newberry pull ahead for good. Cooper Gentry added an RBI single as part of a two-run third, and Free chipped in with a run-scoring hit in the fifth.
Jacob Clark earned his seventh win of the season, tossing 4.1 innings while allowing three earned runs on seven hits and striking out one. Hunter French came on in relief and notched his second save of the year with 2.2 innings pitched.
The Wolves tallied five hits in the win and played clean defensively, committing no errors while turning a double play. Newberry improved to 25-21 overall and 14-16 in SAC play with the sweep, and sent its seniors out in style.
The Wolves season isn’t over yet, as they travel to USC Aiken next Tuesday for a 6pm matchup. Keep an eye on newberrywolves.com for news on seeding for the SAC Tournament.