ROME, GA – The Emmanuel Baseball team traveled to Rome, GA this weekend to face Shorter University in conference action. The Lions got off to a great start earning the 7-4 win in extra innings. Emmanuel carried that momentum into game two, earning the 8-2 victory. The two teams battled in game three, with the Lions coming out on top to earn the 6-5 win. With the sweep, the Lions improve to13-13 on the season, 10-8 in conference action.
GAME ONE –
The Lions got on the board early in the 1
st inning.
Seth Ranta walked to start things off and
Aidan Feather doubled to advance Ranta to 3
rd.
Reece Kingeter reached on a fielder's choice, with Feather getting thrown out at 2
nd, but scoring Ranta to give the Lions the 1-0 lead.
The Lions added to their lead in the top of the 4
th.
Conor Goltermann doubled to start the inning. Following a walk to
Davis Roesler,
Alex Espinoza reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases. A walk to
Stephen Clark scored a run to make it 2-0, Lions and a single from Feather scored two runs to double the Lions lead, 4-0. In the bottom half of the inning, the Hawks scored a run on 2 hits to cut the Lions lead to 4-1.
The Hawks continued to chip away at the Lions lead in the bottom of the 5
th, scoring a run on 3 hits to make it 4-2, Lions.
The score stayed the same until the bottom of the 7
th when Shorter scored a run on 2 hits and an error to cut the Emmanuel lead to 4-3.
In the bottom of the 9
th, Shorter tied the game at 4-4 to force extra innings.
The two teams stayed knotted at 4-4 until the 13
th inning, when the Lions took over.
Dee Oliver walked, and
Alex Calabro walked to start off the at-bat. Feather was intentionally walked to load the bases, and
Chaz Encarnacion took advantage of the opportunity, hitting a single to score two runs, making it 6-4 Lions. A balk scored a run to make the final score 7-4, Lions.
At the plate,
Aidan Feather went 3-5 with 2 RBIs, while
Chaz Encarnacion went 2-4 with 2 RBIs.
On the mound, a trio of Lion pitchers combined for 15 strikeouts.
Hunter Pirkle got the start, going 6.1 innings and giving up 3 runs on 6 hits. He struck out 9 batters and walked 3.
Luke Hopper relieved him to throw 6.0 innings. He gave up a run on 6 hits and struck out 4 batters, walking one.
Chase Lupton earned the save, facing 2 batters and getting 2 strikeouts.
GAME TWO
Shorter took an early lead in game two, scoring a run on a hit to take a 1-0 lead.
The Lions answered in the top of the 3
rd.
Haidyn McGill singled to start things off and
Chaz Encarnacion followed that up with a single down the right field line.
Seth Ranta hit into a fielder's choice, with Encarnacion getting thrown out at 2nd.
Aidan Feather walked to load the bases and
Nick Madrigal was hit by a pitch to score a run, tying the game at 1-1. A walk to
Matt Layton scored Ranta to give the Lions the 2-1 lead.
Shorter tied the game in the bottom of the 4
th on a homerun to make the score 2-2.
The Lions opened things up in the top of the 5
th.Ranta singled to start off the at-bat and Feather walked to put runners on 1
st and 2
nd. Layton doubled to score both runs, giving the Lions the 4-2 lead.
In the top of the 7
th, the Lions got back to work. Feather doubled to start the inning and
Nick Madrigal singled to score Nick McCoy (pinch runner), giving the Lions the 5-2 lead.
Davis Roesler doubled to advance Madrigal to 3
rd and after a walk to Goltermann, a sacrifice fly scored Madrigal to push the Lions lead to 6-2. A single from
Haidyn McGill scored two runs to make the final score 8-2, Lions.
At the plate,
Aidan Feather went 2-2 and
Haidyn McGill went 3-4 with 2 RBIs.
On the mound,
Ethan Pooler threw a complete game of 7.0 innings. He gave up 2 run on 4 hits and struck out 12 batters, walking one.
GAME THREE
Shorter took an early lead in game three, scoring a run on a hit in the bottom of the 1
st.
The Lions tied things up in the top of the 3
rd.
Alex Espinoza walked to start off the inning and
Haidyn McGill singled to advance Espinoza to 2
nd. A single by
Chaz Encarnacion scored a run to tie the game at 1-1. The Hawks pulled ahead in the bottom of the 3
rd, taking a 2-1 lead on a homerun.
Emmanuel answered in the top of the 5
th.
Davis Roesler and Espinoza walked to start off the inning.
Haidyn McGill hit into a fielder's choice, with Roesler getting thrown out at 3
rd. Espinoza would score on an error by the catcher to tie the game at 2-2. The Hawks retook the lead in the bottom half of the inning, scoring a run on 3 hits to go up 3-2.
Shorter pushed their lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the 7
th, collecting 3 hits.
The Lions responded in the top of the 8
th. After a walk to McGill, Ranta and Feather both singled to score a run, making the score 5-3, Hawks. Madrigal reached on a fielder's choice, with Feather out at 2
nd, but Layton followed it up with a double to score two runs, tying the game at 5-5.
The Lions took the lead in the top of the 9th. Roesler reached on an error and Espinoza was hit by a pitch. The runners advanced on a wild pitch, but Roesler was thrown out at home. After a walk to McGill, Encarnacion was hit by a pitch to load the bases. A walk to Feather scored Espinoza to give the Lions the 6-5 lead. The Lions sat the Hawks down in order to close the game, earning the Lions the 3-0 sweep.
At the plate,
Seth Ranta was 2-5 and
Alex Espinoza scored 3 runs.
On the mound,
Logan Taylor got the start, going 4.0 innings. He gave up 3 runs on 5 hits and struck out 5 batters.
Miles Dodd relieved him to throw 1.2 innings. He gave up 3 hits and struck out 2 batters.
Joseph Rice was next on the mound, facing 2 batters and sitting them down.
Zackary Easton relieved him to face 3 batters, giving up 2 runs on 2 hits.
Zach Evans earned the win, pitching 2.0 innings and giving up a hit, striking out a batter.
Chase Lupton closed out the game, throwing an inning. He struck out a batter.
Next up, the Lions will host top-ranked Francis Marion in a weekend series. The first pitch will be Friday at 5PM, with a doubleheader following on Saturday at 1 & 4PM.
For more information on Emmanuel University athletics, visit goeulions.com.
