Baseball season ends in Kingsport, Tenn.
KINGSPORT, Tenn. (May 2, 2023) – The Point University baseball team traveled to Kingsport, Tenn. to take on the #10 seed, Columbia International University Rams in the AAC conference baseball tournament play-in game. The Skyhawks would fall to the Rams in walk-off fashion, 3-2.
The Skyhawks would get six base runners on in the first three frames, put were left scoreless in the top half of each inning. On the other side of the inning, Cole Brown would keep the Rams off balance by striking out three batters, picking a runner off at second base and inducing a double play after a lead-off single in the third. In the top of the fourth inning, Trent Sheppard would hit an infield single and later steal second base. Noah Watkins would move Sheppard over ninety feet from home when he hit a deep fly ball to center field that would assist in the advancement to third base. Jaysen Dower would than come up and reach on a throwing error by the shortstop of CIU and that would allow Sheppard to score, making it 1-0.
The next three innings, the score would remain at 1-0, as both teams would be unable to add any runs to the scoreboard. The Rams would start the bottom of the eighth off with a lead off walk. The next batter would sacrifice bunt to Cole Brown, who would get the batter out at first for one out. After the sacrifice bunt, the Rams would get a single up the middle to tie the game up at 1-1. After Cole Brown would induce a fly out to center field for the second out, the Skyhawks would allow a wild pitch that would move their runner into scoring position at second base. The next batter after the wild pitch would hit an RBI single to left field to take a 2-1 lead for the Rams. The Skyhawks would go to the bullpen and bring in Salter Greene to try and collect the third out of the inning. Cole Brown would end the day with him going 7.2 innings pitched, allowing two earned runs while scattering nine hits, walking one and striking out six batters. After an infield single and a passed ball, Greene would be able to get out of the inning with an infield pop-up.
The Skyhawks would head to the top of the ninth trailing 2-1 and would get a jolt from Sam Baker, as he would lead off the inning with a walk. Kaleb Podger would hit an RBI double to left center to score Baker and would tie the game up at 2-2. Alex Marquand would fly out to center field for the first out of the innings and then the Rams would intentionally walk Slade Mink to put the double play in order with Podger still at second base. The Rams pitcher would eventually get both Zeb Baird and Jackson Bush to strike out.
Daniel Crabtree would be sent to the mound for the Skyhawks in the bottom of ninth to protect the 2-2 tie ball game. The lead off batter would reach by a single to right field and later get pinch ran for to add speed to the bases. The pinch runner would later be out at second as the next batter would hit into a fielder's choice for the first out of the inning. So with a runner on first and one out, the Rams went to their bench and pinched hit and that batter would walk to make it runners at second and first with one out. The Rams would get a walk-off single to right field, as the throw from Jackson Bush was off line and allowed the runner from second base to score and win the game. The Rams would get the 3-2 walk-off victory and move to Wednesday, May 3 to play #2 seed, Reinhardt at 4:00 P.M.
Next Game
The 2023 baseball season is completed with this loss in the AAC conference baseball tournament. The baseball team will be back next year with new regular season opponents, as they will be one of the newest members of the Southern States Conference.