BREVARD, N.C. – The Brevard College baseball team (13-13, 7-5 USAS) completed a three-game sweep over Huntingdon College (13-19, 4-10 USAS) by taking both games of a Senior Day doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Gil Coan Field.
Brevard College's senior class of Daiquon Davenport, Jakob Dennis, Christian Ezzell, Huntley Hacker, Holden Lanier, Ben Melton, Hayden Price, Tanner Revis, Beau Shealy, and JJ Wilkes was honored in a special ceremony in between games.
Brevard claimed the first contest, 7-3 before surging past the Hawks with a big 11-2 victory in which all 10 seniors saw action.
GAME ONE – BREVARD 7, HUNTINGDON 3
Junior shortstop Jason Jucker kicked off an impressive individual offensive day with a 3-for-4 performance with a double, two RBI's, and a run. Seniors Ezzell and Wilkes each tallied the first two home runs of the 2021 season for the Tornados in the bottom of the fifth inning, while Zach Allison, Logan Clark, and Wilkes all logged multi-hit outings,
Junior left-handed pitcher Matthew Scavotto got the ball to kick off the doubleheader for the Tornados, earning his third win of the season, lasting six innings while striking out a pair of batters with only one earned run allowed. Senior right-hander Hacker came on in the non-save situation to nail the door on the victory for Brevard.
BC got runners on first and second with nobody out thanks to a Jucker single and Allison walk, but three-consecutive outs got the Hawks out of the jam. Huntingdon was able to scratch across the first run of the ball game on a sacrifice fly to center field, but Scavotto forced a swinging K to end further scoring.
Brevard answered back immediately, as Jucker doubled to right-center field to score Fumero and Atkinson – who hustled all the way from first base – to give the Tornados a 2-1 advantage.
After both sides traded scoreless innings in the third and fourth frames, Allison led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a single. Wilkes then took the first pitch deep over the left-field wall for Brevard's first round-tripper of the 2021 season. Fellow senior Ezzell followed up with a line-drive that cleared the fence, giving the Tornados a five-run cushion 6-1.
The Hawks took advantage of a throwing error to plate a pair of runs in the top of the sixth, but the Tornados added an insurance run as Clark singled home Jucker to obtain a four-run, 7-3 lead. Hacker came on to clinch the victory, as Brevard earned the key conference win.
GAME TWO – BREVARD 11, HUNTINGDON 2
Jucker continued his hot start to the day offensively with a perfect 4-for-4 day, scoring a run with three RBI''s and a pair of doubles as the Tornados tallied 11 hits in the series finale. Wilkes went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI's, and a run.
Melton (3-0) turned in an outstanding outing in the final home start of his Tornado career, as the Valdese, North Carolina native threw 6.1 innings with three hits and an earned run while striking out four batters. Fellow seniors Jakob Dennis and Hayden Price worked in relief of Melton, throwing a combined 2.2 innings scattering five hits and a run, while Dennis struck out a pair of batters.
Allison kicked off the scoring, singling home Jucker in the first inning. Wilkes then singled Jack Atkinson home in the bottom of the third to double the BC advantage.
Huntingdon's Andrew Knight slugged his third home run of the series in the top of the fourth, cutting the Brevard lead to a 2-1 margin. BC then proceeded to score nine unanswered runs offensively to put the contest out of reach.
An Atkinson sacrifice fly and a Jucker RBI single pushed the Brevard lead up, 4-1, before the Tornados exploded for five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Tornados pushed their lead to a 10-run, 11-1 margin with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh before cruising to the Senior Day triumph.
The Tornados now turn their attention to a tentatively scheduled play-in game against Piedmont College on Tuesday, May 4 at Gil Coan Field, with a spot in the 2021 USA South Conference Baseball Tournament on the line. Follow bctornados.com and the Brevard College Tornados Athletics social media channels for more information as it becomes available.
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-BC-