Hickory, NC – Southern Wesleyan fell in the opening game against the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears on Friday afternoon in a 6-4 final score.
The Warriors collected eight hits in the game with Christopher Hund and Cam Mitchem leading the team with two hits apiece. Both Marty Grisso and Jackson Mix had doubles. Mix led the team with two of the three RBIs. Southern Wesleyan walked three times and Hund picked up a stolen base.
Nick Vollmert started on the mound for the Warriors and pitched 5.2 innings while striking out three batters. Jaylen Morgan, Gehrig Schreiber and Jacob Webb all came in to pitch in relief. Schreiber and Webb each picked up solo strikeouts.
Game Vitals
Final: Lenoir-Rhyne 6, Southern Wesleyan 4
Records: Southern Wesleyan (1-4) Lenoir Rhyne (5-1)
How It Happened
Southern Wesleyan and Lenoir-Rhyne took part in a battle of pitching as Nick Vollmert and Joshua Lanham prevented either team from scoring for the first two innings of the game. The Bears pushed on as a grand slam home run from Tyler McPeak gave them a 4-0 run advantage in the bottom of the third inning.
The Warriors countered in the top of the fourth inning. Marty Grisso led off the inning with a double down the left field line. A ground out by Jack Dennison allowed Grisso to advance to third. Grisso came in to score on a ground out by Clay Porter to put the Warriors down 4-1.
Southern Wesleyan threatened again in the top of the sixth inning. Christopher Hund led off the inning with a single to left field. Hund then advanced to third base on a throwing error by the pitcher. With one out and Marty Grisso up to bat, a wild pitch allowed Hund to come in to score to allow the Warriors to cut the Bears lead in half.
A home run by Zach Evans allowed Lenoir-Rhyne to extend their lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning. They pushed on again in the bottom of the seventh inning off a sacrifice fly by McPeak to score their sixth run of the game.
The Warriors challenged once again in the top of the ninth inning. Jack Dennison led off with a walk and then advanced to second on a walk by Clay Porter. With one out, Jackson Mix hit the ball down the right field line to bring both Dennison and Porter in to score. However, the Warriors fell to the Bears in a 6-4 final score.
What's Next
Southern Wesleyan will wrap up the series against the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears on February 10 as they take part in a double header beginning at noon. They will then travel to Gaffney, SC to take on the Limestone Saints. The Warriors will host their first Conference Carolinas series of the season as they welcome the Belmont Abbey Crusaders to Dr C Keith Connor Field.
