BUENA VISTA, Va. - The Brevard College baseball team (11-6, 1-0 USA South) defeated Southern Virginia University (7-6, 0-1 USAS) 8-5 on Friday morning in Buena Vista, Virginia, opening up the 2023 USA South Conference slate with a win.
Brevard scored five unanswered runs from the seventh inning on to push its lead up to a five-run margin, as the Tornados held the hosts to a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth to clinch the 8-5 win.
Senior infielder Blake Burchett went 3-for-5 with three RBIs, two runs scored, and three stolen bases and also set the career NCAA-era record for most hit by pitches (18) in the contest. Sophomore outfielder Lucas Granata also turned in a three-hit performance while Luke Morton and Frankie Vasquez each logged two hits apiece.
Senior right-handed pitcher Trenten Anderson earned the start, going five innings allowing a pair of hits and three earned runs with six strikeouts. Cesar Rodriguez (1-2) tallied his first win of the season with four innings of five-hit, two-run ball with three batters fanned.
SVU's Marcelino Leonardo had a two-hit, two-run performance while Ryan Farris launched a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Southern Virginia took an early 1-0 edge in the bottom of the first inning as the two sides struggled to plate runs early, as both starting pitchers hit a groove through the first four frames. BC was able to break through in the top of the fifth as Logan Clark drove in Burchett on an RBI groundout. Vasquez followed suit with an RBI single to bring Morton around to score as Brevard took a one-run lead, 2-1.
A fielder's choice RBI and a balk from Anderson allowed SVU to retake the lead briefly, 3-2, but Burchett doubled in the top of the sixth to tie things back up, 3-3 as Rodriguez took the mound for the Tornados.
Rodriguez proceeded to work out of damage in the bottom half of the frame and the Tornados retook the lead in the top of the seventh as Cale Oehler stole home with runners on the corners, as the visiting Tornados held a 4-3 lead.
BC added an insurance run in the top of the eighth after a Morton stolen base and throwing error allowed Burchett to cross home again. With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the ninth, BC's offense added a trio of critical insurance scores as Burchett lofted a two-RBI single to right field that was followed by a double steal as Peter Fumero came across to give BC an 8-3 edge.
Farris' two-run round-tripper with two outs in the bottom of the ninth cut the deficit to three for the Knights, but Rodriguez got a groundout to end the game as Brevard won its conference opener.
The Tornados and Knights will wrap up their three-game set with a pair of nine-inning contests tomorrow beginning at 12 p.m.
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-BC-