Central, SC – Southern Wesleyan took down the Limestone Saints on Wednesday evening in a 21-13 final score.
The Warriors collected 21 hits in the victory over the Saints.
Marcerio Allen led the team with four hits. Both Allen and
Travis Hammond doubled in the game.
Chance Fogel tripled and
TJ Highsmith homered. Allen went on to lead the team with five RBIs. He was followed by Hammond and
Tyler Jackson with three RBIs apiece. Southern Wesleyan walked three times, and they stole five bases. Allen led the team with two stolen bases while Hammond, Fogel, and Jackson each had solo stolen bases.
Sandy Johnson started on the mound for the Warriors. Johnson pitched one inning and struck out one batter. Seven Warriors came in to pitch in relief for Southern Wesleyan. The Warriors struck out seven in the game with
Andrew Patterson,
Josh Fenton and
Ash Faulk all striking out two. Fenton picked up the win in the game.
Game Vitals
Final: Southern Wesleyan 21, Limestone 13
Records: Southern Wesleyan (3-8) Limestone (5-7)
Coach Robinson says...
"Big win today for our guys. Always nice to snap a skid. We got the bats going today and had good energy throughout the game. Nice to see the team deal with some adversity and then respond by taking care of business. Looking for this win to spring board us into the weekend and play competitive baseball this weekend!"
How It Happened
Limestone struck first as Noah Love homered in the top of the second inning to give the Saints the early lead.
However, the Warriors countered in the bottom of the inning as
TJ Highsmith hit his first home run of the 2023 season over the left center field wall to tie the game up.
The game was kept at a stalemate until the bottom of the fourth inning.
Chance Fogel led off the inning as he hit the ball down the right field line for a triple. A single by
TJ Highsmith brought Fogel in to score. With one out,
Marty Grisso put down a bunt single to advance Highsmith to second.
Cam Mitchem knocked a single through the left side to bring Highsmith across home plate.
Tyler Jackson singled to right field to advance Mitchem to third and bring Grisso in to score. A walk to
Jackson Mix loaded up the bases and brought
Marcerio Allen up to bat. Allen singled through the right side to bring Mitchem in to score and give the Warriors a 5-1 run lead.
Travis Hammond then drilled the ball down the left field line for a double that brought both Mix and Jackson home. A sacrifice fly out by
Chance Fogel scored Allen to give the Warriors an 8-1 run advantage at the conclusion of the fourth inning.
The Saints countered as they launched their own attack and brought six runs in to score in the top of the fifth inning to come to within one run of Southern Wesleyan.
The Warriors were not discouraged as they attacked again in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Josh Long led off the inning by being hit by a pitch. With two outs, a throwing error on a failed pick-off attempt allowed Long to advance to third base. An error by the Saints' shortstop allowed
Tyler Jackson to reach first and bring Long in to score.
Jackson Mix then walked to put runners at first and second.
Marcerio Allen doubled to left center field to bring both Mix and Jackson across home plate. A single by
Travis Hammond scored Allen to extend the Warriors lead to 12-7.
Limestone would not go down quietly as a double by Shugan and a single by Love put the Saints back within three runs of Southern Wesleyan.
TJ Highsmith kicked off the bottom of the sixth inning with a single to short stop.
Josh Long followed with a single through the right side to advance Highsmith to second base. A sacrifice bunt by
Marty Grisso advanced both runners ninety feet. With both runners in scoring position and one out, a fielding error by the Saints allowed Mitchem to reach first and brought Highsmith in to score.
Tyler Jackson reached on a fielder's choice to bring Long home and give Southern Wesleyan a 14-9 run advantage.
The Saints came back to within two runs of the Warriors in the top of the seventh inning as they brought three runs across the plate.
Southern Wesleyan took back a run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Marcerio Allen led off the inning with a single through the right side. Allen then stole second and then advanced to third on a wild pitch. With one out, a wild pitch allowed Allen to come in to score.
Limestone scored their thirteenth run in the top of the eighth inning, but the Warriors were able to keep the Saints from coming any closer.
The Warriors continued their attacks in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Josh Long led off the inning with a single to right field. With
Dawson Gilstrap pinch running for Long,
Marty Grisso singled to right field to put two runners on the bases. A single by
Cam Mitchem allowed Grisso to advance to second base and bring Gilstrap in to score.
Tyler Jackson singled to right center and then advance to second on the play. Jackson's batted ball advanced Mitchem to third and brought Grisso in to put the Warriors on top 17-13. With one out and both runners in scoring position,
Marcerio Allen singled to center field to bring both Jackson and Mitchem home. Allen then stole second base.
Travis Hammond followed with a single up the middle to advance Allen to third. Hammond followed with a stolen base of his own to put both runners in scoring position. A fielding error allowed
Chance Fogel to reach first and bring Allen in to score. With Hammond on third, Fogel stole second to put both runners in scoring position once again.
TJ Highsmith walked.
Dawson Gilstrap hit a sacrifice fly to right field to bring Hammond in to score and give the Warriors a 21-13 run victory.
What's Next
Southern Wesleyan will open up Conference Carolinas action on February 24 as they host the Chowan Hawks at 4 p.m. They will then finish the series against the Hawks on February 25 with games at noon and 3 p.m. The Warriors will remain at home on March 1 as they host the USC Aiken Pacers. Southern Wesleyan will travel to Belmont, NC on March 3-4 to take on the Belmont Abbey Crusaders.
