Joseph Marvin: Assistant Sports Information Director
Photo Credit: Thom Kennedy '21 Instagram - @thomkphoto
BREVARD, N.C. - The Brevard College Tornados Baseball team (6-20, 1-16 USAS) dropped both games of a Saturday afternoon doubleheader to the visiting Pride of Greensboro College (12-13, 9-6 USAS), as the Pride finished off a three-game sweep of the Tornados.
Greensboro's offense caught fire in the first game, scoring 16 runs en route to a 16-7 victory, before the Pride pulled away in a game two offensive battle, 12-9.
All told, 44 combined runs were scored in Saturday's action, along with a total of 56 hits and 19 errors.
GAME ONE
Three BC batters racked up multi-hit performances in the first contest. Both Ryan Roon and JJ Wilkes tallied three-hit games. One of Wilkes' hits was a double, while both scored runs in the contest.
Christian Ezzell began his masterful day at the plate by going 2-for-4 game one, hitting a triple while driving in two RBI's and scoring two runs.
Jason Jucker also collected two RBI's for the Tornado offense.
Greensboro was paced with five multi-hit performances in the first game. Pride starting pitcher Eli Moravick lasted seven innings in a high-quality start, allowing just four runs (two earned) on seven hits, striking out two Tornados.
The Pride's scoring onslaught began in the top of the second inning. With runners on first and second, Greensboro tacked on its first run with a two-base wild pitch. The Pride extended the lead, 2-0, with an RBI single on the same at-bat.
Greensboro shot its lead up by seven runs in the third inning, scoring via four hits and two errors against two different Tornado pitchers to take the 9-0 advantage.
Jucker broke up the shutout in the bottom of the third with a two-RBI single, plating Brae Wooten and Zach Wolfe.
BC continued its solid work offensively in the bottom half of the fourth inning, as an Ezzell RBI triple followed by a JJ Wilkes RBI groundout closed the deficit to 9-4.
The Pride answered right back with a four-dub fifth inning, extending their lead back out to a nine-run margin, 13-4.
Both sides went scoreless in the sixth and seventh innings before the offenses picked back up in the eighth. After the Pride tacked on a lone run in the top half of the frame, BC answered right back with a three-run inning, making the score 14-7.
Greensboro used an RBI single and RBI groundout to cement its lead, 16-7, claiming the victory to open Saturday's doubleheader.
GAME TWO
Brevard struck first in another offensive-heavy game to start the back end of the doubleheader. With one out after a leadoff error and single, Roon connected on a two-RBI single, giving the Tornados the early advantage, 2-0.
The Pride answered right back, putting together a four-run second inning. With two outs, a costly throwing error allowed three runs to score. Greensboro followed with an RBI single to push its lead to 4-2.
Both teams scored two runs in the third inning, leaving the contest at a two-run margin, 6-4. The Pride used an RBI single and scored on a throwing error, while Ezzell hit an RBI double followed by a Holden Lanier RBI groundout for the Tornados' two runs.
The Pride tacked on runs in the fourth and fifth innings to widen their lead even further, 8-4.
Jucker chipped into Greensboro's lead in the home half of the sixth with a sac fly, bringing the game to 8-5.
The Pride and Tornados traded four runs each in the ninth inning. Greensboro used a two-RBI single followed by a sac fly and an RBI single to swell its lead to 12-5. The Tornados would answer back with four runs of their own in the bottom half of the ninth. Matthew Kelley sparked Brevard's late two-out rally with a two-RBI double down the right-field line. Jack Atkinson followed it up with an RBI single through the right side. Wooten connected for an RBI single as well, bringing the tying run to the plate for BC. However, the late rally would fall short as Greensboro secured the sweep with a 12-9 victory in the series finale.
BC returns to action next weekend as it travels to Fayetteville, N.C. to face nationally-ranked No. 21 Methodist University (21-6, 11-4 USAS) for a three-game series. Game one is set for 5 p.m. on Friday, April 5, with the series continuing on Saturday, April 6 at 1 p.m. The series finale is slated for Sunday, April 7 at 1 p.m.
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