No. 3 Baseball Outswings Skyhawks

West Point, Ga.- The baseball team, No. 2 in the NAIA, went on the road for an Appalachian Athletic Conference series. The weather forced some schedule changes as the team moved the start of the series against the Point University Skyhawks to Thursday. The two teams started with a doubleheader.

Game One:

Carson Ford began the game with a home run to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead after the top of the first inning. Point scored a run in the bottom of the first inning to tie the score in what turned out to be a high-scoring game. In the second inning, the opponents scored three more runs to move ahead 4-1.

In the fourth inning, Point's lead was cut to one run. Cody McGill hit a home run with Marco Martinez standing on first to put two runs on the board and make the score 4-3 in favor of the opponents. The opponents scored four more runs in the bottom of the fourth though to move ahead 8-3.

After a Braxton Turner double to open the fifth inning, Ford hit his second home run of the game to cut the deficit to three runs. Dan Sayre scored one more run in the inning after getting on with a single and getting to third on an error on Martinez's at-bat and crossing home plate on an Evan Magill sacrifice fly.

TWU took over the lead in the sixth inning. A double down the left field line scored both Magill and Ford, tying the game 8-8. McGill hit a single through the gap in the left side of the infield after Andre Tarver's single to score Sayre, giving the Bulldogs the lead. A passed ball moved Tarver and McGill a base, both scoring on Cayle Webster's single to right field to give the team an 11-8 lead after the top of the sixth inning.

Tennessee Wesleyan built on to their lead in the seventh inning after the Skyhawks cut into it in the bottom of the sixth. Magill got on first via a walk and moved to second on Turner's bunt single. A passed ball moved each runner a base and a single through the right side by Ford brought Magill to home plate to extend the lead to 12-9. After a fielder's choice got Sayre on base but forced Ford out, Martinez came to the plate and smacked a ball over the wall, making the score 15-9 as three runs scored. Point scored one more run in the game as the Bulldogs went on to take the first game of the doubleheader 15-10.

Ford and McGill both finished with four RBIs in the game while Martinez added three RBIs. Sayre and Webster each had two RBIs. Carter Gannaway was credited with the win while finishing with six strikeouts.

Game Two:

Game two of the doubleheader was a much different game as three runs crossed home plate in the game.

Sayre became the first run of the game in the first inning after an error on his at-bat allowed him to get to second. After stealing third, a double down the left field line by McGill brought Sayre to home plate to make the score 1-0.

Sam Rochard held the opponents to just one hit on the mound, and the Bulldogs added to their lead in the third inning. Martinez kept the third inning alive after the first two outs of the inning were recorded with his single. Tarver followed with a triple to left center to score Martinez and make the lead two runs through three innings. The final run of the game came in the fourth inning.

Parker Stinnett opened the fourth with a single up the middle, moving to second on via a stolen base. A single through the left side by Magill scored Stinnett from second, the third and final run of the game.

Rochard pitched six innings in the win, striking out seven batters while not allowing a walk or a run. Kyle Bloor had one strikeout in the save effort.

TWU (30-6, 20-0 AAC) closes out the series against the Skyhawks on Friday with a single game. The game is set to begin at 12:00 p.m.