Central, SC – Southern Wesleyan split the opening doubleheader against the King Tornado on Sunday. The Warriors dropped game one in a 6-3 final before taking game two 12-2.
The Warriors totaled seven hits in game one including a double by Griffin Pickhardt. Zachary Kim, Pickhardt and Luke Staton each had RBIs. Five Warriors walked and Jackson Mix stole a base. Nick Vollmert started on the mound for the Warriors and pitched 6.1 innings while striking out four batters.
Southern Wesleyan had 10 hits with Gage Shaver leading the team with three hits. Zachary Kim and Chase Gribble each had two hits. Gribble hit his first home run of the season in the form of a grand slam. Gribble and Shaver each had doubles. The Warriors walked four times, and Jason Culley (2) and Shaver each stole bases. Christopher Hund pitched a complete game for the Warriors and struck out six batters.
Game Vitals
Game One Final: King 6, Southern Wesleyan 3
Game Two Final: Southern Wesleyan 12, King 2
Records: Southern Wesleyan (6-24 / CC 4-13) King (8-19 / CC 3-9)
How It Happened
Game One
Nick Vollmert and Ray Berry battled it out on the mound to prevent either team from taking the lead until the top of the third inning when misplayed balls by the Warriors resulted in two Tornado runs.
Southern Wesleyan countered in the bottom of the fourth inning. With one out, Jarrett Whitley hit a single to left field. Zachary Kim hit the ball up the middle, but an error by the pitcher allowed Whitley to advance to second and put Kim on first. Griffin Pickhardt followed by hitting a double to deep left field to bring Whitley in to score. With one out and two on, Luke Staton ground out to bring in Kim and allow the Warriors to tie the game up 2-2.
A lead-off sixth inning home run by Roper allowed King to regain the advantage.
However, the Warriors countered in the bottom of the sixth inning. Gage Shaver led off with a walk and then advanced to second on a passed ball. With one out, Zachary Kim hit a single to left field to bring Shaver in to score to tie the game back up.
However, the Tornado pushed on with runs in the seventh and eighth innings to win game one in a 6-3 final score.
Game Two
King took the early lead in the second game as a single by Borchardt allowed Roper to come in to score.
The Warriors tied the game up in the bottom of the second inning. Jarrett Whitley led off by reaching on an error and then advanced to third base when Zachary Kim hit a single up the middle. Chase Gribble flew out to center field to bring Whitley in to score.
Southern Wesleyan pushed on in the bottom of the third inning. With one out, Cam Mitchem hit a single up the middle. Gage Shaver drilled the ball to left field for a double that allowed Mitchem to advance to third. Clay Porter singled up the middle to bring Mitchem in to score. With runners at the corners, Jarrett Whitley flew out to right field to bring Shaver in to score and give the Warriors a 3-1 run lead.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Southern Wesleyan took a seven run lead. Jason Culley walked. With one out, Gage Shaver hit a single to left center field to put Culley on second. Jarrett Whitley was hit by a pitch to load up the bases and bring Zachary Kim up to bat. Kim hit a single to shortstop to bring Culley home. With the bases loaded, Chase Gribble drilled the ball over the left field wall for a grand slam to extend the Warriors lead to 8-1.
The Warriors continued to distance themselves from the Tornado in the bottom of the sixth inning. Jason Culley walked and then stole second base. Gage Shaver walked. Both Culley and Shaver stole bases to put two runners in scoring position. Clay Porter flew out to center field to bring Culley in to score. Jarrett Whitley singled to short stop to allow Shaver to advance to third. With two outs, Luke Staton put the ball into play. An error by the right fielder allowed Shaver to come in to score and put Whitley on third. Chase Gribble put the ball into play in the form of a double that cleared the bases to extend Southern Wesleyan's lead to 12-1.
The Tornado challenged with a home run by Borchardt, but Southern Wesleyan claimed the game two victory in a 12-2 final.
What's Next
Southern Wesleyan will wrap up the series against the King Tornado on March 25 at 1pm. They will remain at home on March 27 as they host the Limestone Saints at 5pm. The Warriors will travel to St. Petersburg, FL on March 29-30 to take on Eckerd College.
