BEREA, Ky. – The Brevard College baseball team (10-5) split a nine-inning doubleheader with Berea College (3-8) on Sunday afternoon in Berea, Kentucky.
The Tornados surged late offensively in game one of the twin bill, scoring six runs in the game's last three innings to wrap up an 11-2 win. Brevard found themselves on the wrong side of a comeback attempt in the series finale, as Berea used a four-run seventh inning to propel itself to an 8-5 victory to salvage a game in the three-game set.
GAME ONE – BREVARD 11, BEREA 2
Junior outfielder Logan Clark led the Tornados with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate with a triple, two runs scored, an RBI and two stolen bases. Luke Morton and Baylor Wyatt also turned in multi-hit performances as the Tornados racked up 11 runs on 11 hits.
Freshman left-handed pitcher Connor Crosby (4-0) turned in yet another gem of a performance on the mound to remain undefeated in his collegiate career. The Tampa, Florida native chucked seven innings of one-run ball while striking out five batters. Crosby has maintained a 3.46 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 26 innings pitched so far in his freshman campaign.
Berea's Fredison Rivera went 3-for-5, while Jayden Junta and Talon Yates each logged two hits apiece for the Mountaineers.
After two scoreless frames, Brevard got on the board first when Cale Oehler drove in Blake Burchett on a sacrifice fly. Frankie Vasquez used a sacrifice bunt to score the game's second run as Morton came around to score.
Brevard doubled its lead in the top of the fifth as Vasquez roped a two-RBI double. Lucas Granata followed suit, extending the BC lead to a 5-0 margin with an RBI single.
The Tornados concluded their 8-0 scoring run with three runs in the seventh as Clark drove in an RBI triple followed by an Oehler RBI single and Wyatt's sacrifice fly.
Berea managed runs in the next two innings, but the Tornados wrapped up the win with two runs in the top of the ninth.
GAME TWO – BEREA 8, BREVARD 5
Burchett impressed in the final game of the series offensively, tallying a career-high four hits with two runs scored and a stolen base in a 4-for-5 performance. Granata, Morton, and Oehler all logged multi-hit outings as well, while Clark and Oehler each drove in a pair of runs.
Bryce Bowers (1-1) was saddled with the loss after allowing six runs on eight hits in six and 1/3 innings pitched. Cesar Rodriguez hurled an inning and two-thirds in relief for the Tornados.
Berea had four hitters log two hits apiece, while Marcelo Manrique and Ricardo Serra each drove in three runs apiece. Junta (2-0) earned the win on the mound giving up four runs on 10 hits in seven innings of work.
Brevard got off to a four-run lead in the second game of the doubleheader as the Tornados scored a run in the first and three in the third. However, the Mountaineers went on an eight-run unanswered streak that included a pivotal bottom of the seventh inning that flipped the script. With the bases loaded and two outs, Manrique hit a two-RBI single followed by Serra's two-RBI double that gave the hosts an 8-4 lead.
The Tornados got a run back in the top of the ninth, but the late rally was put out as the Mountaineers earned the 8-5 victory.
Brevard will open up USA South Conference play on Friday, March 17 at 3 p.m. with a trip to Buena Vista, Virginia to take on Southern Virginia University at 3 p.m.
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-BC-