Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 by Cory Guinn
WILSON, N.C. – The Barton College baseball team continued its stellar offensive weekend at the plate, taking the final two games of the series against Glenville State College with a 15-8 win in game one and a 20-4 win in six innings of game two in Sunday's doubleheader at Nixon Field.
The Bulldogs improve their overall record to 4-1 while the Pioneers fall to 0-4 on the season.
Game One: Barton 15 Glenville State 8
Looking to rebound from two losses on Saturday, Glenville State's Tucker Abruzzino lead off the game with a double to center field and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt. Abruzzino would then score on a wild pitch to put the Pioneers ahead 1-0 early in the contest.
Barton would wait until the second inning of play to get on the scoreboard when junior Ben Youngblood used a two-RBI double to put Barton ahead 2-0 with just one out.
Following a walk to senior JT Bunce which loaded the bases, sophomore Calvin Hawke forced a bases-loaded walk to extend the Bulldog lead to a 3-1 advantage. In the ensuing at-bat, senior Spiers Miller cleared the bases with a grand slam, his third home run in two days, as Barton led 7-1 after two innings of play.
Glenville State would not stay behind for long, scoring six runs on six hits in the top of the third inning. Most of the damage in the inning was done on a two-run home run by catcher Randal Baugher and a two-RBI single by Abruzzino.
However, Barton responded with a solo home run from junior Nick McKinney, his second of the series, to take an 8-7 lead after three.
The fifth inning again saw the Bulldog bats come alive as sophomore Andrew Webster lead off with a single before advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt. With one out and one on, McKinney doubled down the right field line to score Webster from second.
Youngblood followed with an RBI double of his own before being driven in on a single from Bunce. After Bunce advanced to second on another sacrifice, Miller drove him home with an RBI single. An RBI single by redshirt-junior Matthew Berry concluded scoring in the inning as Barton's lead grew to 13-8 after five innings.
Bunce would drive in two more runs, his second and third RBI of the game, in the sixth inning with an RBI single as Glenville State added its final run of the game in the top of the seventh as the Bulldogs secured the seven-run win in game one.
Miller was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with a home run, two runs scored and five RBI as well as reaching base on a walk and stealing a base. McKinney was also 3-for-3 with a double, a home run, three runs scored, two RBI and a walk of his own, while Youngblood finished the game 3-for-4 with three doubles, three runs scored and three RBI.
Redshirt-junior Louis DeCarolis got the start on the mound for Barton, allowing seven runs (two earned) on six hits with four walk and three strikeouts as the Barton defense committed three errors in the field.
Sophomore Kerry Walker (1-0) picked up the win after a scoreless 1.1 innings of relief, allowing just two hits with on strikeouts, while senior Mike Brienza pitched a perfect 2.3 of an inning with a strikeout. Junior Seth Breasseale recorded a strikeout in a perfect 1.1 innings of work as freshman Andrew Davis allowed one unearned run on one hit in the final inning of the contest.
Game Two: Barton 20 Glenville State 4 (6 inn.)
The Bulldogs scored in every inning of game two, plating 20 runs on 17 hits while forcing 11 walks at the plate.
Sophomore Jacob Willis tripled in his first at-bat of game two, driving in a run for the early 1-0 lead before Webster doubled to right centerfield to bring Willis home. Senior outfielder Avery Harper followed with an RBI single to give Barton a 3-0 lead after one inning.
Hawke record and RBI in the second inning as Barton's lead grew to 4-0 before the Bulldogs used a four-run third inning to blow the game wide open. The inning was highlight by a three-run home run to left center by Harper, his first of the 2015 season.
Barton again scored four runs, this time in the fourth inning as Willis scored on a wild pitch, followed by an RBI single from Youngblood. The final runs of the inning came on an RBI double from redshirt junior Michael DelSardo to plate two runs and bring the Barton advantage to 12-0 after four innings of play.
The fifth inning of play saw Barton score eight runs on just five hits as an RBI single from freshman Hunter Pearre got the ball rolling for the Bulldogs. A sacrifice fly from DelSardo was followed by a three-run home run to left field off the bat of redshirt-junior Brett Bailey to give Barton a 17-0 edge with two outs in the fifth.
With the bases loaded, sophomore Shawn Montren was hit by a pitch to bring another run across the plate, before a Blake Spangenberg single brought home one more run for the Bulldogs. Barton's final run of the game came on a bases-loaded walk issued to sophomore Landon Dunlap as the game was called after six innings due to darkness.
Senior Brandon Warren (1-1) was credited with the win after allowing just three hits in five innings with seven strikeouts. Junior Ricky Jernigan pitched the game's final inning, allowing four runs on five hits with two strikeouts and two walks.
Harper led the Bulldogs at the plate in game two, finishing 2-for-4 with a home run, a run scored and four RBI as DelSardo and Bailey each finished the contest with three RBI apiece.
Barton will look to keep its winning streak alive when its plays host to Chowan University in a doubleheader on Wednesday, February 11 beginning at 1:00 p.m. in Wilson.
