Baseball Splits at Erskine

DUE WEST, S.C. – Mars Hill's baseball team split a double-header at Erskine Saturday afternoon at Grier Field. The Lions took their season record to 1-2 while the Flying Fleet are now 2-1 on the season.

Game 1: EC 12, MHU 7

Matt Honeycutt and Gray McCurry both went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead the Lions offensively. McCurry scored twice while Honeycutt added a RBI. Brett Brubaker was 1-for-3 at the plate with a two-run homerun. Cody Cline went 1-for-2 with two RBI. Troy Hall suffered the loss (0-1) pitching 2.1 innings in relief.

Billy Ryan and Kyle Heiss led Erskine with four RBI apiece. Ryan had three hits and two doubles while Heiss hit a grand slam homerun. Trey Watts obtained the win throwing the final 2.1 innings in relief.

Erskine got on the board in their first at-bat scoring two runs on one hit and two Lion errors. Mars Hill answered in the top of the second inning scoring three runs on two hits and a pair of Erskine miscues. Cline and Lance Edwards recorded a RBI each in the at-bat. Erskine scored three runs of their own in the bottom half of the third frame highlighted by a two-RBI double by Ryan to lead 5-3.

McCurry scored from third on a bunt by Cline in the third inning to trim the deficit to a single run (5-4). A two-run homerun by Brubaker in the fourth inning gave the Lions a 6-5 advantage and then a RBI single by Honeycutt in the top of the sixth inning extended the Lions' lead to 7-5. Unfortunately, Erskine scored seven runs in the bottom half of the sixth inning to seal the win. Heiss and Ryan accounted for six of the seven runs in the at-bat. Heiss hit a grand slam and Ryan recorded a two-RBI single.

Game 2: MHU 6, EC 2

McCurry went 1-for-1 with a two-run homerun to pace the Lions offensively in game two. Christian Stampler was 1-for-3 with a homerun and Daniel Vitello added two hits in the win. Alan Kolb recorded the win (1-0) on the mound for MHU pitching two innings in relief. He allowed no hits and struck out two batters.

Chaz Davey led Erskine going 2-for-5 with a run scored. Lucas Coan took the loss (0-1) on the mound for the Flying Fleet.

Erskine took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on three hits. A bases loaded walk in the second inning and a solo homerun by Stampler in the third inning knotted the contest at 2-all. McCurry scored on an Erskine error in the sixth inning to score what would later prove to be the game winning run. Mars Hill added three insurance runs in the seventh inning highlighted by McCurry's two-run homerun to seal the victory.

Mars Hill will return to action on Wednesday, February 7, when they play at Southern Wesleyan. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.