Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Joe Burgarino, Sports Information Graduate Assistant
BURLINGTON, NC- For the second straight year the Pfeiffer baseball (23-30) team has advanced to the Conference Carolinas Championship, winning a pair of contests on Saturday. Cody McKenzie put together a brilliant performance going 3-for-4 from the plate and driving in three runs as the Falcons e eliminated Barton (31-20) on Saturday morning, by a score of 6-2. McKenzie crushed a two-out three-run home run to left centerfield in the top of the second inning to set the stage for the Falcons. In game two against Mount Olive the Falcons put on a hitting display, as every batter in the starting lineup recorded at least one hit. Tanner Mathis drove in three runs in game two.
Barton put pressure on the Falcons early putting runners on the corners with one out. Allende used a great move to pick off move to get Conference Carolinas Player of the Year Andrew Webster out at first base, and Allende then got Jacob Willis to pop up to third.
In the top of the second inning the Falcons continued their clutch hitting with two outs and nobody on. Jordan Eckard started out the rally with a single up the middle, Kirby Lambert followed that up singling through the left side, McKenzie then put an exclamation point on the inning taking a 2-0 curve ball deep to left center field giving the Falcons a 3-0 lead.
Barton was able to push one run across in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Falcons got that run right back when Zach Scudder connected on his 9th home run of the season, a solo blast to left field extending the Falcons lead to 4-1. The Falcons tacked on two more insurance runs in the top half of the ninth inning, off a two-run shot by Ryne Stanley to left field, scoring McKenzie who singled earlier in the inning.
The Bulldogs loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the ninth inning, but senior reliever Hunter Jobe buckled down getting out of the jam only allowing one run. Jobe picked up his second save of the season pitching three innings, allowing one hit, one run and striking out three batters. Allende picked up his third win of the season tossing six great innings allowing only three hits and one run.
Stanley went 2-for-3 from the plate with a double and the two-run home run. Pfeiffer has been outstanding so far this tournament with two out hitting scoring six of their 14 runs with two down and nobody on in the inning.
Pfeiffer jumped all over Mount Olive to start game two. Derek Perry lead the game off with a single down the right field line later scoring on a one out RBI double to down the left field line by Mathis. Allende scored Damon Smith on a sacrifice fly to center. The Falcon tacked on five more runs on five hits in the top of the second inning. Lambert and McKenzie hit back-to-back singles to open up the frame. That was followed by a walk to Stanley and a bases loaded walk to Perry. Smith drove in McKenzie with an RBI single to left, and Zach Scudder singled to left scoring Stanley. Mathis followed that up with a two RBI single up the middle extending the Falcon lead to 7-0.
In the bottom of the second and third inning, Pfeiffer flashed the leather by turning double-plays in back-to-back frames. In the second, Pfeiffer turned the always tough 3-6-3 double play, and followed that up in the third with a 3-6-1 DP to keep the Trojans off the score board.
After pushing one run across in the fourth, Mount Olive put the pressure on again in the fifth, with one run already in, and runners on the corners with nobody out, Pfeiffer brought Jobe in relief. The senior was able to get the Trojans to line into a double play and then next batter to ground out, getting out of the inning and holding a 7-2 lead.
The Falcons manufactured an insurance run in the top of the sixth inning. Stanley was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame, Perry bunted him over. Stanley stole third and scored on a throwing error by the catcher, giving the Falcons an 8-2 lead.
The Falcons continued to pour it on in the seventh Allende opened up the frame smoking a double down the left field line, and later scored on a Lambert single. Eckard scored on a throwing error by the shortstop expanding the Pfeiffer lead to 10-2.
Jobe picked up his second win of the season, pitching five innings allowing two runs on two hits and recording four strikeouts.
With the win Pfeiffer moves on to their second consecutive Conference Carolinas Championship and will take on the winner of Mount Olive and Belmont Abbey on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
