Baseball Completes Sweep of Cobras

MARS HILL, N.C. – The Lions baseball team completed the three-game sweep over South Atlantic Conference rival Coker defeating the Cobras in a double-header on Saturday afternoon at Henderson Field. The Lions won the first game 20-6 and then won the nightcap, 10-3. MHU improved to 11-20-1 on the year and 6-12 in the conference. The Cobras fell to 11-20 overall and 1-17 in the SAC.

Game 1: Mars Hill 20, Coker 6

Daniel Vitello went 2-for-5 with a homerun and five RBI to pace the Lions at the plate in game one. Matt Honeycutt followed going 1-for-3 with a homerun and three RBI. Christian Stampler was 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles, three runs scored and a RBI. Cody Cline, Brett Brubaker and Josh Hall tallied two hits apiece in the win. Jared Mathewson picked up the win (2-1) throwing five innings allowing four earned runs on six hits while striking out five batters. Kaleb McCurry threw the final four innings allowing just two hits and one run to record his second save on the year.

RJ Ball led the Cobras offensively with two doubles and two RBI. Matt Swiderski followed going 2-for-5 with a RBI. Jake Moore suffered the loss (1-1) on the mound for the Cobras.

Coker struck first scoring two runs on three hits in the second inning. They added a single run in the top of the third inning before Mars Hill sent five runs to the plate in the bottom half of the third frame on five hits and two Cobra errors. The Lions would never trail again (5-3). Vitello and Honeycutt both hit two-run homeruns in the at-bat before Barrett Hennings hit a RBI double to left-center field.

Honeycutt scored Cody Cline on a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning to give Mars Hill a 6-3 lead before Coker scored a pair of runs in the fifth inning (6-5). The Lions put the game away in the bottom of the fifth inning scoring nine runs on four hits and one Coker miscue to lead 15-5. The at-bat was highlighted by a two-RBI triple by Cline.

Mars Hill added five insurance runs in the sixth inning on three hits and one Cobra error (20-5). Gray McCurry, Josh Hall and Hennings had RBI singles to highlight the at-bat. Coker pushed across one more run in the eighth inning to make the final tally 20-6 in favor of the hosts.

Game 2: Mars Hill 10, Coker 3

Brubaker and Honeycutt both recorded two hits, two RBI and a double to lead the Lions offense. Hall added a two-run homerun and three RBI. Zac Brown threw a complete game scattering five hits allowing two earned runs and struck out eight batters en route to his second win (2-2) on the mound.

Charlie Burguieres led the Cobras at the plate going 2-for-3 with a couple RBI. Griffin Hollifield took the loss (2-3) on the mound for Coker.

Mars Hill scored four runs in their first at-bat on the same number of hits and two Coker errors. Honeycutt doubled to center field to drive in Brubaker and Cline and then Hall hit a two-run homerun to right field.

Coker answered scoring two runs in the second inning on three hits and one Lions error. Conner Cleary hit a RBI-double to score Brooks Estrada and then Burguieres singled to plate Cleary. Stampler hit a solo homerun in the third inning to extend the Lions lead to 5-2.

In the top of the fourth inning, Burguieres singled to score Tanner Crosby and trim the deficit to 5-3. The run was unearned as Crosby reached on a Lion error.

Mars Hill added three runs in the fourth inning (8-3). Brubaker hit an RBI double to score Vitello and McCurry and then Hall hit a sacrifice fly to center to drive in Brubaker.

Mars Hill recorded two runs in the fifth inning on one hit and one Cobra error to end the scoring and complete the three-game sweep of the Cobras with a 10-3 victory in the series finale.

Mars Hill will host UVa-Wise on Tuesday, April 3. The first pitch at Henderson Field is set for 3 p.m.