Baseball Sweeps Bluefield State

BECKLEY, W. Va. – The Lions' baseball team closed out the 2015 season with a double-header sweep of Bluefield State Tuesday afternoon. The games were played at Epling Field in Beckley due to wet field conditions in Bluefield. Mars Hill ends the 2015 campaign 22-20. The Blues fell to 8-28 on the year.

Game 1: Mars Hill 6, Bluefield State 3

Johnathan Stamey went 3-3 with two RBI and a run scored to lead the Lions at the plate in game one. Evan Rogers was 2-5 with a double while Phillip Carroll was 1-3 with two RBI. Zac Brown pitched six innings allowing just five hits and no earned runs to pick up his seventh win (7-3) on the mound.

Dalton Eisenbath hit a sacrifice fly in the first inning to score Rayshelon Carolina who reached earlier on a triple to center field. RBI singles by Stamey and Rogers drove in a pair of runs in the Lions' second at-bat to give MHU a 3-0 advantage. Carroll singled up the middle in the third frame to plate Dylan Powers to give the Lions a 4-0 lead. Edwards scored on a fielder's choice in the fifth inning to increase the Lions lead to 5-0. The Blues got on the board in the sixth inning scoring a single run before Carroll hit a sacrifice fly to right field to drive in Tommy Scala for the Lions' final score. Bluefield State hit a two-run homerun in their last at-bat to make the final tally 6-3 in favor of the visitors.

Game 2: Mars Hill 16, Bluefield State 1

Eisenbath was 3-3 with two homeruns and four RBI to pace the Lions offensively. Carolina went 3-4 with three runs scored, two RBI and a pair of stolen bases. Alec Bivins obtained the win (3-2) on the mound pitching 5.1 innings allowing just one hit while striking out five batters.

The Lions scored four runs in their opening at-bat on the same number of hits. A solo homerun by Eisenbath in the third inning put the Lions up 5-0. Carolina scored on a wild pitch and then Eisenbath hit his second homerun of the game in the fifth stanza to extend the Lions' lead to 7-0.

MHU then exploded for six runs on two hits and two Bluefield State errors to take a 13-0 advantage in the contest.  Carolina had a two-RBI single in the at-bat and Luke Baker hit a two-RBI double in the inning.

After the Blues scored their only run in the sixth inning, Mars Hill tacked on three insurance runs in the seventh inning highlighted by a two-RBI triple by Scala.

The Lions belted 13 hits in the win. Mars Hill's pitching staff consisting of Bivins, Zach Davies and Adam Daniel allowed only two hits in the game.