BREVARD, N.C. - The Brevard College baseball team (4-3) defeated Northern Vermont University-Lyndon (1-2) 10-4 in the first of a three-game series on a wet Thursday afternoon at Gil Coan Field.
Brevard hit two home runs in the contest as sophomore first baseman Cale Oehler hit a solo shot followed by a rare inside-the-park home run by sophomore left fielder Lucas Granata.
Oehler produced a huge day offensively, ending up just a double away from hitting for the cycle. The native of Charlotte, North Carolina opened his assault with a two-run triple followed by a solo home run and a single to finish the day 3-for-4 with three RBI, three runs scored and a walk.
Granta hit his first home run as a Tornado as part of a 2-for-4 performance. Third baseman Frankie Vazquez went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI. Sophomore shortstop Luke Morton also went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
Sophomore righty Jacob Thompson (1-0) earned the win after a highly effective starting performance, allowing one run on four hits while striking out two and walking three over five innings pitched. Bowden Witcher, Jacob Frizzell and Aiden Williams all saw relief duty to complete the winning effort for the BC pitching staff.
Brevard was once again stellar on the base paths, going 6-for-6 in stolen bases. Vazquez and Morton each stole a pair of bags, while Burchett and Clark both registered stolen bases as well. It marked the fifth game this season that the Tornados have stole five or more bases.
The game started with an offensive barrage in the first inning by the Tornados as 1-2 hitters Blake Burchett and Zach Allison each reached base via a hit-by-pitch then a walk. Center fielder Logan Clark then singled to left first to score Burchett. With Clark and Allison now aboard, Oehler ripped a triple to right field to clear the bases and put the Tornados ahead 3-0. Vazquez followed with a single to score Oehler, then scored himself on an error to complete the five-run opening inning in which the Tornados sent 10 hitters to the plate.
The second inning saw Oehler arrive at the plate for his second at-bat with two outs. The first baseman hit a shot down the right field line that cleared the fence at Gil Coan Field for the solo home run, extending the lead to 6-0.
After the Hornets scored their first run of the contest, Granata led off the bottom of the third with a well-placed line drive to right field that made it all the way to the fence. The native of Wake Forest, North Carolina promptly rounded the bases and beat the relay throw to execute the inside-the-park home run to bring the lead back to six runs.
After scoreless fourth and fifth innings, the Hornets added two more runs in the sixth to cut the deficit to four runs. BC responded again as Vazquez blasted a double that scored Oehler and Allison followed by a run scored on a passed ball by Morton.
Northern Vermont-Lyndon added a run in the eighth then came up in the ninth trailing by six. Sophomore Aiden Williams finished the job with a perfect ninth inning with a strikeout to cap off the 10-4 victory.
The remainder of the three-game series has been adjusted from the original Thursday-Friday-Saturday schedule due to potential inclement weather in the area later in the week. The series will now conclude with a doubleheader of two seven-inning contests beginning at 11 a.m. at Gil Coan Field.
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-BC-