Saturday, April 14, 2007
PC And Wingate Split Baseball Doubleheader On Saturday
CLINTON, S.C. - The Blue Hose split two games with
Wingate on Saturday afternoon, taking game one 6-5 with a
walk-off single by Bobby Holmes before dropping the nightcap
7-3. Presbyterian is now 16-35 on the year and 6-17 in the
South Atlantic Conference while the Bulldogs move to 21-27
and 10-12 in the league.
PC and Wingate will conclude the series with a rubber match
tomorrow afternoon at the PC Baseball Complex beginning at 1
p.m.
Game One: Presbyterian 6, Wingate 5
Blue Hose third baseman Bobby Holmes came through with a
clutch two out infield single to first base that drove in
Cory Lyda for the game-winning run in the ninth inning.
Holmes slapped a grounder to Wingate first baseman Brian
Troutman who flipped to pitcher Zak Laws racing to the bag,
but Holmes was able to use a head first slide to avoid the
out and deliver the win.
After surrendering four runs in the top half of the ninth to
tie the game at five, PC bounced back with a leadoff single
by Robbie Anders off of Wingate closer Laws. After a
sacrifice bunt by Casey Carlson Cory Lyda knocked a base hit
to left center to put two runners in scoring position with
only one out.
The Bulldogs elected to put Russell Robinson aboard with an
intentional walk and load the bases for Kyle Craven who hit
into a fielders choice to the short stop, forcing Anders out
at home. Holmes then picked up his first hit of the game on
the walk-off infield single.
Cory Lyda scored the Blue Hose first run of the game in the
first on a throwing error by Wingate right fielder Grayson
Tanner after a double by Russell Robinson down the right
field line.
PC was then able to add a run in the fourth, two in the
fifth and one more in the eighth to take a commanding 5-1
lead.
Blue Hose starter Mitchell Odom threw six strong innings of
two-hit ball surrendering only one run.
However, the Bulldogs bat would finally come alive in the
final inning off of PC relievers Ben Dollar and Eric Tatum.
Grayson Tanner and Nick Siega-Riz each singled before
Spencer Robinson drove in a run with an infield hit.
Josh Benton then reached on an error by second baseman
Andrew Cockerham that allowed Siega-Riz and Shaughn Neal to
score placing runners at the corners with one out. Josh
Benton then swiped second to allow Robinson to score the
tying run on the throw down by PC’s William Bolchoz.
The Play of the game may have been by Presbyterian right
fielder Kyle Craven who kept the game knotted at five by
gunning down Benton at the plate trying to score from second
on a single by Wingate’s Brian Troutman. After walking the
following batter Tatum (4-4) forced a fly out to avoid any
further damage by the Bulldogs and pick up his fourth win of
the season.
Five different Blue Hose players finished with multi-hit
games as the first and second hitters in the lineup,
comprised of Carlson and Lyda each tallied two hits and
combined for four runs scored.
Laws took the loss after surrendering the go-ahead run in
the ninth inning.
Game Two: Wingate 7, Presbyterian 3
In the nightcap Wingate used a three-run third inning,
highlighted by a two-run single by Josh Barnes to claim a
4-0 lead before the Blue Hose scratched a run across the
plate in the bottom of the third when Russell Robinson
plated Casey Carlson on a grounder to the shortstop.
The Blue Hose were never able to get closer than a three-run
deficit as each team traded a pair of runs in the fifth and
sixth innings.
In the sixth inning PC drew three straight walks to knock
Bulldog starter Lee Oxendine from the game. The Blue Hose
scored a run off of a bases loaded balk by reliever Josh
Benton and another on an RBI groundout by Bobby Holmes.
Anders would then draw a walk to put runners at the corners
but Benton was able to strikeout Andrew Cockerham to put an
end to the Blue Hose rally.
Benton then hit a solo home run to right field in the
seventh inning for the games final run.
Jesse Harmon (2-7) suffered the loss after going the
distance on the hill for PC, while Lee Oxendine garnered the
win for Wingate.
PC out-hit Wingate for the second straight game, again led
by the top of the order. Carlson, Lyda, and Robinson each
finished with two hits in the loss.
Wingate catcher Jay Barnes led the Bulldog attack with two
hits and a game-high three RBIs.