Central, SC – Southern Wesleyan fell to the Mars Hill Lions on Tuesday evening in a 19-9 final score.
The Warriors had seven hits in the loss to the Lions. Clay Porter led the team with two hits and two RBIs. Josh Long hit his first home run of the season. Southern Wesleyan walked 13 times. Porter, Jarrett Whitley and Connor Truax each stole bases.
Jack Dennison started on the mound for Southern Wesleyan and pitched three innings while striking out two batters. Eight Warriors came in to pitch in relief. Jacob Webb led the team with three strikeouts. The other strikeout came from Gehrig Schreiber.
Game Vitals
Final: Mars Hill 19, Southern Wesleyan 9
Records: Southern Wesleyan (5-18) Mars Hill (9-14)
How It Happened
The Lions took the first run of the game as a single by Alex Naren gave Mars Hill a 1-0 run lead in the top of the first.
Southern Wesleyan countered in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, Marty Grisso laid down a bunt single and then advanced to second on a throwing error by the pitcher. A single by Cam Mitchem put runners on the corners. Tyler Jackson hit a single to right field to bring Grisso in to score to tie the game.
Mars Hill regained the lead in the top of the second inning. They pushed further ahead with runs in the top of the third and fourth innings.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Warriors struck again. Clay Porter hit a single up the middle and then advanced to second when Chase Gribble walked. Christopher Hund came in to pinch hit and walked to load up the bases for Luke Staton. Staton ground into a double play, but Porter was able to come in to score to put the Warriors down 7-2.
They continued to challenge in the bottom of the fifth inning. Jason Culley led off the inning with a walk. With two out, Culley advanced all the way to third on an error after a failed pick-off attempt by the Lions. Tyler Jackson walked. A wild pitch allowed both Jackson and Culley to advance a base. Clay Porter walked, but a wild pitch on ball four allowed Jackson to come in to score to put Southern Wesleyan within three runs of Mars Hill.
The Lions pushed on as they scored seven runs in the top of the seventh inning to extend their lead to 14-4. They scored once again in the top of the eighth inning.
Southern Wesleyan struck again in the bottom of the eighth inning. Josh Long led off the inning by hitting his first home run of the season over the left field wall. Collin Wendorff walked, but he was taken off the base pads when Connor Truax hit into a fielder's choice. Jason Culley and Blayze Haddock each walked to load up the bases. With two outs, TJ Highsmith came up to bat and was hit by a pitch to bring Truax in to score. A wild pitch brought Culley home. Clay Porter hit a single to left field to bring both Highsmith and Haddock in to score to put the Warriors down 16-9.
Mars Hill scored three more times in the top of the ninth to win the game in a 19-9 final score.
What's Next
Southern Wesleyan will travel to Greenville, SC on March 13 as they take on the Limestone Saints at Fluor Field. They will then travel to Franklin Springs, GA on March 15-16 to resume Conference Carolinas action as they take on the Emmanuel Lions. The Warriors will travel to take on the Anderson Trojans on March 19.
