SEWANEE, Tenn. –
Charlie Teel,
John Bagwell and
Hunter Herndon, the top three in Sewanee's batting order, combined for eight hits and five runs scored and
Henry Shields tossed 3.1 scoreless innings for the save in Sewanee's 9-5 win against Berry College in the opening round of the SAA Championships on Saturday in Mount Berry, Ga.
Will Yarbro added two hits,
Blake Pou scored twice and drove in a run and
Luke Short collected two RBIs as well in the win. With the victory, the Tigers (16-23) win the best 2-of-3 series and advance to next weekend's four-team double elimination tournament.
Sewanee scored eight runs in the first four innings to take control of the game, including two in the third and four in the fourth.
Mike Lewishall, the hero in Friday's win, drove in a run with a single and Pou scored on a wild pitch in the third.
Herndon and Pou recorded RBI singles and Short's two-run single put the Tigers in front, 8-2. Berry (28-14) pulled within 8-5 with a three-run sixth inning but Sewanee added a run in the seventh on an error by the Vikings.
Shields entered the game in the sixth with the bases loaded and allowed a two-run single but retired the side in order in the seventh, hit a batter in the eighth and gave up a double in the ninth, but the Vikings never got more than one runner on base against the lefthander. He allowed two hits, did not walk a batter and struck out four for his second save.
Taj Donald tossed the first three innings for the Tigers, giving up two runs on six hits with two walks, and
Ryan Moll (2-2) picked up the victory, allowing three runs on two hits in 2.2 innings.
Aubrey Moraitaki (1-4), the first of six Berry pitchers, took the loss, giving up four runs on five hits in 2.2 innings. Nicholas Angelakos also allowed four runs on four hits in one inning in relief of Moraitaki.
Sewanee started quickly with a one-out double down the leftfield line by Bagwell in the first inning. Herndon followed with a single and
Jack Roode's sacrifice fly put the visitors ahead, 1-0, after a half inning.
The Vikings answered in the bottom of the first with a leadoff single by Alex Knapp and Joey Garcia reached on a grounder before a sacrifice bunt by Nick Brunswick put runners on second and third. Riley Uhls doubled home both runners for a 2-1 Berry edge.
Lewishall was hit in the second inning and went to second on a groundout by
Jadon Fetrow. With two outs Teel singled to center, plating Lewishall to knot the contest at two.
Roode was hit with one out in the third and Pou walked with two outs. Lewishall's single scored a run, chasing Moraitaki from the game, and Pou came across on a wild pitch for a 4-2 advantage.
Teel bunted his way on to start the fourth inning and Bagwell followed with a single before an RBI single by Herndon. With two outs Pou drove in a run with a single to center and Lewishall was hit again, loading the bases against Cole Porter. Short then singled to center, plating two runs for an 8-2 Tigers lead.
The Vikings had a chance to cut into the deficit in the fourth after singles by Austin Jetmore and Caleb Spikes and a walk to Garrett Lang. Moll entered the contest and induced a 1-2-3 doubleplay from Knapp and Garcia grounded out to end the threat.
In the sixth Spikes singled with two outs and stole second before a bunt single by Knapp and a walk to Garcia, loading the bases. Brunswick was hit, forcing in a run, and Shields allowed a two-run single to Uhls but struck out Andrew Pendleton to end the inning.
In the seventh Teel doubled with two outs and scored on an error by Berry shortstop Garrett Lang.
