BREVARD, N.C. - The Brevard College baseball team (19-12, 9-5 USA South) got back to its winning ways as the Tornados took care of business, sweeping Mary Baldwin University (4-25, 0-14 USAS) in a pair of USA South Conference contests, 8-0 and 6-4, on Saturday afternoon at Gil Coan Field.
Prior to the start of play, BC honored its eight-member senior class of Zach Allison, Trenten Anderson, Bryce Bowers, Blake Burchett, Brett Burchett, Parker Crews, Peter Fumero, and Joc Pledger in a special pre-game ceremony.
Anderson twirled a complete-game shutout gem in game one as the Tornados controlled action for an 8-0 win to kick the series off. Brevard was able to take the lead in game two mid-game and hold off a late Fighting Squirrel comeback attempt to secure the series win and sweep Senior Day, 6-4.
GAME ONE - BREVARD 8, MARY BALDWIN 0
Anderson (4-4) threw his second career complete game - and first of the nine-inning shutout variety - in a dominant performance in game one, giving up seven hits and no runs with seven strikeouts of Fighting Squirrel batters.
Four Tornados logged multi-hit performances, including the senior trio of Allison (two runs scored), Burchett (two runs scored, two stolen bases), and Crews (solo home run). Luke Morton went 2-for-4 with two RBIs as well.
The Tornados as a team went 4-for-7 on stolen base attempts, with Burchett logging two while Tristian Robinson and Frankie Vasquez also tallied swiped bags.
MBU's Jacob Cude and Josh Lallier logged two hits apiece, while Ty Webster (0-8) lasted six innings on the mound surrendering eight hits and three runs (2 ER) with three strikeouts.
Morton got the scoring going for the Tornados in the bottom of the first with an RBI single that brought Burchett around to score. Morton logged his second RBI of the game with a single up the middle in the bottom of the third that allowed Allison to come across, extending the advantage to a 2-0 margin.
Robinson made it a 3-0 ballgame in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI double down the left field line that plated Vasquez.
The Tornados were able to break the contest open in the bottom of the seventh as an infield RBI single, failed pickoff attempt error, and a two-RBI single from Lucas Granata pushed the Brevard lead up to a 7-0 margin.
Crews launched a leadoff home run over the left field wall to cap off a successful senior day performance from the Coats, North Carolina product, as Anderson and the Tornado defense capped off the shutout victory over MBU.
GAME TWO - BREVARD 6, MARY BALDWIN 4
Mary Baldwin was able to get on the board first in game two, loading the bases and then using an infield single to take a 1-0 lead. However, Jacob Thompson (4-2) and the Tornado defense escaped further damage with a flyout and strikeout.
Each side went down scoreless in the next two frames before the Tornados tied things up in the bottom of the fourth as Hayden Jennings drove in Cale Oehler with a sacrifice fly that made it a 1-1 ballgame.
Brevard used two RBI singles and an RBI groundout in the bottom of the fifth to take a three-run lead, 4-1 through five innings of play.
Blake Burchett hit a single to center field in the bottom of the sixth that brought Fumero around to score, as the hosts extended their lead to a 5-1 margin.
The Fighting Squirrels began their comeback attempt in the top of the eighth inning with a leadoff single and two-out walk set up an RBI single and fielding error that allowed two runs to come across as Mary Baldwin cut the deficit in half, 5-3. BC reliever Jacob Frizzell was able to limit any more damage from occurring.
Brevard got an all-important insurance run in the bottom of the eighth after a throwing error allowed Morton to come across and score to push the lead back up to three runs, 6-3.
Matt Evans came on to earn his second save of the season in the top of the ninth, allowing a run on two hits but forcing a game-ending fielder's choice as the Tornados wrapped up their Senior Day sweep, 6-4.
Thompson earned his fourth win of the season after throwing five innings of four-hit, one-run ball with three strikeouts. Cesar Rodriguez and Frizzell held down the middle to late innings to set up Evans for the save.
Burchett, Logan Clark, and Oehler all logged two hits apiece, while Burchett stole two more bases to bring his season total to 34 swiped bags.
The Tornados will go for the series sweep tomorrow against MBU, with first pitch currently scheduled for 1 p.m.
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-BC-
