Central, SC – Southern Wesleyan split with King on Friday evening.  The Warriors won game won 8-4 and then fell 11-3 in the final game of the evening.

Southern Wesleyan had 11 hits in game one against King.  Three Warriors posted two hits in the game one victory.  Trey Matthews, Jesse Getford and Noah Fritz all had doubles during the game and Getford hit his fourth home run of the season.  Getford led the team with three RBIs, he was followed by Fritz with two.  Fritz posted the lone stolen base for the Warriors and Devin Patrick led the team with three walks.  Mike Batten pitched a complete game for the Warriors, striking out 10 batters while only allowing four hits.

Southern Wesleyan had three hits in game two.  The hits came off the bats of Trey Matthews, Julio Justo and Jesse Getford.  Getford's hit came in the form of the lone double for Southern Wesleyan.  Getford and Kirkland Gillespie had the lone RBIs for the Warriors.  Getford led the team with two walks and Noah Fritz had a stolen base.  Josh Antwine started game two for the Warriors and pitched four innings while striking out two.  TJ McEvilly and Aaron Bennett came in to pitch in relief.

Game Vitals

Game One Final: Southern Wesleyan 8, King 4

Game Two Final: King 11, Southern Wesleyan 3

Records: Southern Wesleyan (12-10 / CC 1-7) King (13-6 / CC 5-3)

Coach Gillespie says…

"Big game tomorrow to decide the series, I feel confident we will come out ready to play a complete game."

How It Happened

Game One

Southern Wesleyan struck first in the bottom of the first inning.  John Garrett was hit by a pitch to lead off and then a double to right field by Trey Matthews brought Garrett across home to put the Warriors up 1-0.  An error by the third baseman allowed Julio Justo to reach and advanced Matthews to third base.  A double into left field allowed Jesse Getford to bring Matthews in and put the Warriors on top 2-0.

In the bottom of the third inning, Quinton Bent singled through the left side with one out.  He advanced to second on a single by Conner Ewing.  A wild pitch allowed both runners to advance and then a walk to Devin Patrick loaded the bases.  With the bases loaded, Andrew Falgiano singled to right field to bring Bent in and give Southern Wesleyan a 3-0 lead.

Mike Batten took the game to a no hitter into the top of the sixth inning when Mark Michael doubled to left field.  The Tornado fought back, to tie the game 3-3.  The Tornado took a 4-3 lead in the top of seventh on a home run by Cam Haymans.

The Warriors powered past the Tornado in the bottom of the sixth.  Jesse Getford walked and then advanced to second when Devin Patrick singled to left field.  With two runners on, Andrew Falgiano flew out to right field, but Getford advanced to third.  With runners at the corners, Noah Fritz doubled to left field to bring both Getford and Patrick home to put the Warriors on top 5-4.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Trey Matthews led off with a single to left field and then advanced to second on a single by Julio Justo.  Quinton Bent hit into a double play, but Matthews reached third base.  With a runner ninety feet from home, Conner Ewing singled to left field to bring Matthews home.  Ike Thalassinos came in to pinch run for Ewing.  With Thalassinos on first, Jesse Getford hit a home run to centerfield to give the Warriors an 8-4 victory over the Tornado.

Game Two

King jumped out early on, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.  They lengthened their lead to 4-0 in the top of the second.  Josh Antwine kept the Tornado scoreless for the next two innings, but King lengthened their lead to 7-0 in the top of the fifth.

Southern Wesleyan countered in the bottom of the fifth inning.  Trey Matthews led off with a single and then advanced to second when Julio Justo singled to left field.  With two outs, Conner Ewing was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  With the bases loaded, Jesse Getford walked to put the Warriors down 7-1.

The Tornado pushed their lead to 11-1 in the top of the sixth.  Southern Wesleyan put up a fight in the bottom of the seventh.  Quinton Bent was hit to lead off the inning and then advanced to second on a wild pitch.  Bent advanced to third on a wild pitch.  Hunter King walked and then advanced to escond when Devin Patrick walked.  Kirkland Gillespie hit a sacrifice fly to bring Bent in and then a wild pitch allowed King to come home.  However, King won the game 11-3.

What's Next

Southern Wesleyan will conclude their three game series against the King Tornado on March 10 at 1 p.m.  They will host their annual Military Appreciation Day during the game with a special ceremony beginning at 12:30.  They will then travel to Truett-McConnell on March 13 to take on the Bears at 2 p.m.  They will remain on the road on March 14 against the North Georgia Nighthawks at 6 p.m.