SEWANEE, Tenn. –
Zach Fortman and
Max Kilburn combined for eight hits and nine RBIs and Aiden Petrocco added five hits and six runs scored, helping Sewanee sweep a doubleheader against Southwestern University, 13-7 and 12-2, in baseball action here Sunday at Montgomery Field.
The Tigers swept a conference series for the first time in three years and moved into third place with the three victories this weekend, one game ahead of Oglethorpe University, Centre College and Berry College with one weekend remaining in league play.
Petrocco posted three hits with three runs scored, Kilburn tripled, homered and scored twice and
John Bagwell collected three hits and scored two runs in the first contest for the Tigers (20-15-1, 10-8 SAA). Sewanee scored seven runs in the seventh inning to break open a close game in the win.
Austin Graber (3-2) allowed three runs while scattering nine hits in six innings, picking up the win. The righthander gave up two solo homers but did not walk a batter and struck out six. Zane Heiliger (1-4) suffered the loss, giving up six runs on 10 hits in 5.2 innings. He walked two and struck out six.
Sewanee pounded out 15 hits in the second game, with six players each collected two apiece. Fortman drove in three runs, including a two-run homer, and Petrocco scored three runs. The Tigers scored three runs in the first inning and four more in the fourth.
Jack Merril worked three innings in the start, giving up one run on one hit with three strikeouts.
Eli Potter (6-1) picked up the victory, allowing one run on two hits in four innings. Southwestern (8-27, 4-12) starter Samuel Garcia (0-2) took the loss, giving up seven runs on seven hits with six strikeouts in 3.2 innings.
GAME ONE
Sewanee plated two runs in the second, fifth and sixth innings and led 6-4 before the seven-run seventh inning, which included two walks, two hit by pitches, a catcher's interference and just two hits for the Tigers. Fortman's two-run single made it 11-4 and he later came across on the third wild pitch of the inning by the Pirates.
The Tigers got on the board in the second inning after
Tyler Pinson was hit to leadoff the frame. He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Will Jennewein and third on a deep fly ball by
Owen Andress. Bagwell reached on an infield single, a chopper down the first base line, scoring a run, and Kilburn followed with an RBI triple down the rightfield line for a 2-0 Sewanee edge.
Brandon Lang singled with one out in the third for Southwestern and Ben Feuer reached on an infield single before an RBI base hit from Cory Matthews, but Graber induced a popout and a fly ball to end the inning without any further damage.
Owen Stevenson's homer to leftcenter, his 11
th of the season, to leadoff the fourth tied the game at two.
Sewanee threatened in the bottom of the inning with a leadoff single by Jennewein, who moved to second on Andress' sac bunt and third on Bagwell's single to left. Kilburn smashed a ball to short, but Feuer handled the short-hop and started an inning-ending 6-4-3 doubleplay.
Lang added a solo homer for Southwestern to start the fifth, his third of the year, giving the visitors a 3-2 advantage.
Sewanee immediately answered in the bottom of the inning with a one-out single from Petrocco and a run-scoring double down the rightfield line by
Charlie Teel. Pinson walked with two outs and Jennewein followed with an RBI single to right for a 4-3 Tigers lead.
Tres Organ and Stevenson both singled to start the sixth for Southwestern. The runners took off to steal and Chase Adams bounced a grounder to deep short. Fortman fielded the ball and threw to third, where Kilburn tagged out Organ, who had rounded third base too far. Alex Ervesun and Cale Cochran both lined out to end the threat for the Pirates.
Kilburn homered with one out in the bottom of the inning, his first of the season. Petrocco singled with two outs, ending the day for Heiliger, and Teel walked before an RBI single from Fortman, extending the advantage to 6-3.
Matthews started a two-out rally for Southwestern in the seventh with a single to center. Connor Duffey doubled down the rightfield line and Organ singled sharply to right. One run scored but
Sebastian Leinberger made a strong throw to the plate to nail Duffey and end the inning, with Sewanee maintaining a 6-4 lead.
The Tigers broke the game open in the bottom of the inning, starting with a walk to Andress. Bagwell singled and Kilburn walked, loading the bases. Pinch-hitter
Landis Fluck was hit, forcing in a run, and Petrocco reached on catcher's interference, pushing across another.
Teel was also hit, scoring a run, and Fortman followed with a two-run single to left. Teel came across on a groundout by Pinson and Fortman later scored on a wild pitch for a 13-4 advantage.
In the ninth Lang singled with one out and Matthews doubled to rightcenter with two outs, scoring a run. Duffey then lined a two-run homer to left, his sixth of the season. Organ singled and Stevenson doubled before Chase Adams grounded out to end the contest.
GAME TWO
The Tigers struck quickly in the second contest when Petrocco was hit and Teel doubled down the leftfield line, plating a run. Fortman followed with an RBI double to leftcenter and after a walk to Pinson, Jennewein bounced a single to right, scoring a run for a 3-0 lead after an inning.
Southwestern got a run in the second after Adams was hit and Alex Ervesun walked. A pair of wild pitches allowed Adams to come across, but Merril picked up a strikeout and a groundout to end the inning.
In the fourth Bagwell doubled to rightcenter with two outs and Kilburn followed with an RBI triple to leftcenter.
Oliver Snell then singled up the middle, plating a run, and Petrocco hammered a 2-0 pitch for his fourth homer of the season, extending the advantage to 7-1 and ending the day for Garcia.
Matthews hit a solo homer down the leftfield line for the Pirates in the fifth, cutting the Sewanee lead to 7-2.
In the sixth Ervesun made a diving stop at third on a sharp grounder by Andress, but the throw got away and he moved to second on the play and third on a balk. Kilburn's single up the middle plated the run.
Teel doubled and Fortman belted a towering two-run homer to left in the seventh, his ninth of the year, pushing the lead to 10-2.
In the eighth Snell and Petrocco both singled and after a groundout moved the runners to second and third, Pinson's two-out single to left plated both, ending the contest early.
