GSW sweeps weekend series with Montreat
Published 8:45 am Monday, February 9, 2015
AMERICUS – The Georgia Southwestern baseball team completed a three-game series sweep of Montreat College with a convincing 13-2 win on Sunday afternoon at Hurricane Stadium.
GSW improved to 3-1 this spring while Montreat fell to 0-5. It was the Hurricanes first three-game series sweep since February 2011 when they won three against Saint Leo.
Southwestern returns to the diamond on Wednesday to host Shorter University at 5 p.m. Below is the weekend recap.
GAME 1 (Saturday): GSW 8, MONTREAT 3
The Hurricanes struck first in the series opener with a run in the fourth inning. Zach Barron delievered an infield single that brought home Davey King.
Montreat answered the next half inning with a three-run frame behind three hits and a pair of walks. Zach Jones collected a big two-run single for the Cavaliers.
GSW pushed across a run in the sixth, but it was the eighth inning that proved to be the difference maker for the Hurricanes. The first seven batters reached base as the scoring was highlighted by a RBI-single from Evan Aldermanand a three-run double by Devyn Newberry.
Alderman led GSW with a 4-for-6 performance in Game 1. Barron went 3-for-4.
Kyle Wrenn and Chandler Musselwhite collected two hits apiece for Montreat.
Justin Barnes (1-0) tossed two innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win. Jordan McIlwain kept Montreat off the scoreboard for 2 2/3 innings and held the Cavaliers to one hit while walking two and striking out four.
Dustin Jiminson took the loss for Montreat. He allowed two runs in his inning of work.
GAME 2 (Saturday): GSW 3, MONTREAT 2 (7 INNINGS)
It was more late-inning heroics for the Hurricanes in the nightcap.
Montreat plated two runs in the first and it looked that might be all of the scoring in the ballgame. Turned out that was it until the home half of sixth.
Evan Alderman and Brett Burgess accounted for back-to-back singles to open the frame and when Montreat’s pitcher mishandled Devyn Newberry’s sacrifice bunt attempt, the bases were loaded. GSW was then the beneficiary of a wild pitch and a passed ball to tie the game.
Will Redding delivered the game-winning hit, a double to left center, that scored Newberry.
Redding was the only player in the contest to collect multiple hits as he went 2-for-3.
Lawson Stewart (1-0) was perfect in relief. He threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings, did not allow a hit, did not walk a batter and struck out five.
Ben Watson was the tough luck losing pitcher as all three of the Hurricanes runs were unearned. Watson pitched five innings, allowed five hits, walked one and struck out one.
GAME 3 (Sunday): GSW 13, MONTREAT 2
GSW scored in every inning of the series finale except the second.
Brett Burgess kicked things off with a solo blast down the left field line. Paul Sorrow doubled to left center two batters later to score Devyn Newberry. Sorrow crossed home on a Gabe Selochan sacrifice fly.
The Hurricanes added a run in the third before posting another three-run inning in the fourth. Evan Alderman drove in Will Redding and Vinny Nunez with a single to center. Zach Barron later scored on a passed ball.
After Montreat pushed across its first run of the game in the fifth, GSW added another three-run inning. Redding and Burgess picked up RBIs.
GSW plated a run in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings before Montreat rounded out the scoring with a run in the ninth.
Burgess finished a triple shy of hitting for the cycle in his 3-for-4 afternoon. He scored three times and had two RBIs. Sorrow added two hits and two RBIs.
Travis Fetter and Eli Ledford collected two hits apiece for Montreat.
GSW starting pitcher Earl Dupree threw four innings, allowed three hits and one run, while walking two and striking out four. Lance Shelton (1-0) threw three innings of scoreless relief to pick up his first victory of the season. Mitch Holloway added a scoreless inning of relief and Daniel Perez pitched the ninth.
Starter Tucker Beane (0-1) took the loss for Montreat after surrendering seven runs and eight hits in four innings of work.