Baseball Drops First Two Against Harris-Stowe

Erik Holth, CBC Sports Information Director

            Conway, Ark. – Carrying a nine-game winning streak into this weekend, Central Baptist College baseball opened a three-game American Midwest Conference series with the Hornets of Harris-Stowe State this afternoon at Victory Field. CBC (16-11, 3-2 AMC) could not halt HSSU (13-10, 3-2 AMC)'s offensive onslaught, surrendering 25 runs in the two games, falling 12-7 and 13-9.

            The Mustangs only led once in the two games, for a brief two inning stretch in the second game. CBC scored in every inning in the first game apart from the sixth, but could not over come a large deficit in either game.

GAME ONE – HARRIS-STOWE 12, CBC 7 (SEVEN INNINGS)

            The Hornets struck quickly in game one, scoring three in each of the first two innings before tacking on four in the third to lead 10-3 after three. CBC's run in the first three innings came via a Jay French leadoff home run in the first, his sixth of the season, a Luke McBride sac fly in the second and a bases loaded hit by pitch to Ruben Hernandez. Another run in the fourth on a fielder's choice cut the deficit to 10-4 and a home run off the bat of Wille Baez, his sixth, in the fifth, cut the deficit to 10-5 before Stowe tacked on two in the sixth to stretch the lead to 12-5. An RBI single from Benito Martinez made it 12-6 in the seventh and a fielder's choice and an error brought the score to its final margin. Austin LeJeune started and picked up the loss, going 1.2 innings and allowing seven hits and six runs with a walk and a K. Ben Slate, Gram Middleton and Caleb Muns all combined for .2 innings, allowing no hits and three runs (two earned) while issuing two walks. Caleb Sollars pitched 2.2 innings and allowed one hit and three runs (two earned) with three walks and a season-high six Ks. Jose Monegro finished the game, pitching the final two innings and allowing just two hits while walking one.

GAME TWO – HSSU 13, CBC 9

            Harris-Stowe struck quickly again in game two, tallying three runs in the first two innings and leading 3-2 after two. CBC's runs both came in the second via a bases loaded walk to Martinez and a fielder's choice off the bat of McBride. Hernandez would give CBC their first lead, 4-3, with a two-run home run in the third, his third of the season. Harris-Stowe would tie the game in the top of the fourth before CBC retook the lead in the bottom half on a solo home run by Martinez, the first of his career, to make it 5-4. Hernandez's second home run of the game and fourth of the season, also a two-run shot, extended the lead to 7-4 before the Mustangs surrendered the lead again. HSSU cut the lead to one in the sixth, take the lead in the seventh and extend the lead in the eighth, leading 12-7 after eight. An error by the Hornets cut the CBC deficit to 12-8 in the eighth before the Mustangs would give Stowe a run in the ninth on a fielder's choice to trail 13-8. An RBI single from Gabe Walker in the ninth made it 13-9, but CBC would not score again. Andrew Killough started and went 3.2 innings, allowing six hits and four runs (two earned) with five walks and three Ks. Jackson Lindsey pitched the next 2.1 innings, allowing three hits and two runs with two walks and three Ks. Ben Slate got the loss, allowing two runs on two hits in .1 innings. Fernando Escapita threw one inning and allowed four runs on five hits with two walks and a strikeout. Justin Raines allowed a hit and a walk with a strikeout in .2 innings and Cole Edwards allowed one run on one hit with a strikeout in his lone inning of work.

UP NEXT

            CBC will look to salvage the final game of the series tomorrow afternoon at Victory Field. The nine-inning contest will begin at noon.