Point Baseball rallies on the road for a series win at Blue Mountain

BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. (Mar. 17, 2024) - The Point University Baseball team returned to action for a road Southern States Athletic Conference Weekend series in the Magnolia State to take on Blue Mountain Christian University where the Skyhawks won the series 2-1. Blue Mountain took the first game with a final score of 11-7 and the Skyhawks rallied for the following two games with a final score of 11-6 in Game Two and 9-4 in Game Three. 

Game One (11-7, Loss) 

The Skyhawks opened the top of the first inning with two runners on base as Alex Marquand, Slade Mink, and Rafael Jackson got the game going with three singles. Zeb Baird followed with a single to right field to send Alex Marquand and Slade Mink home for the first run of the game. Silas Butler followed with a single to center field which gave Rafael Jackson a chance to score for the second run. The early rally continued for Point as a double from Mason Davis scored Zeb Baird home to open the game with a 4-0 lead. The Skyhawks added a fifth run in the second inning as Alex Marquand's single to right field brought the speed of Hunter Neumayer home. The Toppers trotted back with three runs to trail 5-3 as both teams went into the third inning. Point continued to keep the bats rolling as Daniel Gonzalez sliced a double to left field with Silas Butler sprinting home for their sixth run. Blue Mountain opened the bottom of the inning with two hits to set up a three-run homer to tie the game at six. The Skyhawks regained the lead as Slade Mink hit a sacrifice fly to center field to send Alex Marquand home. Blue Mountain locked in and gained the lead with five runs in two innings to ultimately take Game One with a final score of 11-7. 

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Game Two (11-6, Win) 

The series on Saturday continued with Game Two as the Skyhawks looked to tie the series. The Toppers opened the bottom of the third inning with a home run to add the first run of the game and take the lead. Point did not stay scoreless for long as Hunter Neumayer took his opportunity to sprint home for the first run. An error by the catcher on the following play helped Slade Mink slide to home plate to put the Skyhawks ahead with a 2-1 lead. The Toppers continued to make their moments count as a single to right field scored another run to tie the game at two. Sam Baker entered the fray with a RBI single to right field which scored Silas Butler. Point continued to add more runs in the sixth inning as Zeb Baird's single to center field helped add two runs with Alex Marquand and Sam Baker scoring. With bases loaded, Blue Mountain would not be able to get out the jam which resulted in a Jeremiah Martin walk and a score from Slade Mink. The final run of the inning saw Silas Butler add a hit to center field to bring Trent Sheppard and Zeb Baird home to add a quick celebration with the team. With the Skyhawks leading 8-2, the Toppers added a double and a home run to trim Point's lead to three. Alex Marquand did not miss out on the opportunity to respond as he smacked a three-run homer to bring the lead to 11-5. Blue Mountain looked to make the game interesting in the bottom of the ninth inning but would only be able to collect one run as Point tied the series at 1-1. 

Game Three (9-4, Win) 

Game Three was the deciding factor in naming a winner in the series as both teams took the field on Sunday afternoon. Blue Mountain opened the scoring column with an RBI single to right field to score their first run. The Skyhawks responded in the top of the fifth inning as Zeb Baird added a sacrifice fly which sent Sam Baker home to tie the game at 1-1. Trent Sheppard was determined to put the Skyhawks in the lead at bat which was put on display as Sheppard added a single past the shortstop to advance Jeremiah Martin home to take the lead. Point continued to build on the fifth inning as Alex Marquand's single to right field advanced Daniel Gonzalez home to increase the lead to 3-1. Blue Mountain cut into the Skyhawks' lead with a double to center field which brought their deficit to one. However, Point's momentum continued to flow as Hunter Neumayer and Daniel Gonzalez added a single to right field which helped add three runs in the top of the seventh inning. The Skyhawks ended the inning with a fourth run as Daniel Gonzalez took advantage of the error on the catcher to increase the lead to 7-2. The Toppers continued to keep the game within reach as Blue Mountain added two runs in the bottom of the inning. The Skyhawks' energy was felt as the final two runs came from a Silas Butler single to left field and a sacrifice fly from Mason Davis. Point held on to win Game Three with a final score of 9-4 and took the series 2-1. 

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Up Next 

The Skyhawks will return to the field for a neutral site game in Emerson, Georgia against former AAC foe, Bryan College on Tuesday, March 19th starting at 2:00 P.M.