UNC Pembroke Braves complete series sweep Of GSW

Published 4:30 pm Monday, March 23, 2015

AMERICUS – The Georgia Southwestern baseball team lost a pair of Peach Belt Conference games against UNC Pembroke on March 21 at Hurricane Stadium. Game 1 went to the visitors, 12-2. In Game 2 GSW fell behind 11-0 by the the fourth inning and eventually lost, 15-3.

GSW’s record dropped to 8-20 this spring, 2-16 in the PBC while UNC Pembroke improved to 20-7 overall, 9-6 in conference play. The Braves jumped on GSW early all weekend long, holding a 27-3 scoring advantage in the first five innings of games throughout the series.

Southwestern travels to Thomas University on March 25 for a 5 p.m. game.

GAME 1: UNC PEMBROKE 12, GSW 2

Collins Cuthrell went 5-for-5 with two doubles, a home run and three RBIs in the opener on Saturday to lead UNCP to a comfortable win.

The Braves scored three runs in the first inning and added three more in the third.

Trailing 9-0 in the seventh inning, GSW pushed across its first run of the afternoon when Evan Alderman smacked a ground ball deep in the hole behind second and beat out the throw to bring home Will Redding.

UNCP answered with two more runs in the eighth before Redding delivered a two-out RBI double that scored Zach Barron for GSW in the bottom of the inning.

Andy Sullivan (1-1) pitched the first seven innings for UNCP. He was charged with one unearned run and five hits while walking three and striking out four. Willie Nastasi tossed the final two frames.

Lance Shelton (1-3) was unable to get out of the third inning for the Hurricanes. Jordan McIlwain pitched the middle 4 2/3 innings and Daniel Perez tackled the final two frames.

Drew Beaver added three hits for UNCP.

The Hurricanes did not have a player with multiple hits in Game 1.

GAME 2: UNC PEMBROKE 15, GSW 3

UNCP broke open a scoreless game in the third inning. The Braves brought nine to plate, collected five singles, took advantage of two GSW errors and jumped out to a 4-0 lead. They proceeded to top themselves one inning later when 12 came up to bat and they added seven runs to the margin.

Hurricane batters put together their best inning of the weekend when they scored three runs in the fourth off a RBI triple from Redding and a two-run double to deep left-center field by Brandon Weaver.

UNCP tacked on insurance runs in the sixth and seventh innings and two more in the eighth.

Redding and Weaver had two hits apiece to lead the Hurricanes in the finale.

Zade Denton and Billy Vaughn collected three hits apiece for UNCP.

GSW used four pitchers in Game 2 of the doubleheader. Starter Dylan Brown (1-1) threw 3 1/3 innings. Mitch Holloway, Matthew Hubbard and Kyle Spinks shared the final 5 2/3 innings.

UNCP starter Connor Pratt (3-1) tossed six innings, allowed the three Hurricane runs, scattered five hits, walked two and struck out six. Zach Andrews, Logan Cook and Alex Britt each pitched an inning of scoreless relief.