3/31/19

(BLUEFIELD, Va.)– The Truett McConnell University baseball team, who is receiving votes in the latest NAIA national top 25, swept Bluefield College on Friday and Saturday (11-8, 7-1, 10-6) to maintain their number one ranking in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. TMU has won all five AAC series they have competed in. The sweep improved the Bears to 21-9, 13-2 AAC on the year.
 
GAME ONE (11-8) – 11 INNINGS
Austin Bishop started off the game with a walk to get the Bears rolling. After John Michael McRae reached base on a defensive error, Patrick Overstreet hit a two-out double to bring the runners home for the Bears first runs of the game (2-0).
 
Bluefield pushed across one run in the bottom half of the inning, but the Bears responded with one of their own in the top of the second (3-1). Bluefield fought back to score three more in the bottom of the second to take the lead (4-3).
 
Both teams were unable to get anything going after that until Bishop led off the fifth inning with a single to left field. The Bears loaded the bases with no outs, but were only able to push across one run to tie the game (4-4). Bluefield scored four runs over the next three innings, while the Bears were not able to respond (8-4).
 
Down by four runs in the top of the eighth inning, Bishop sparked the offense again with a two-out single to center field. Up next, Josh Johnston smacked a double to deep right-center that would score Bishop from first base (8-5). McRae came up next to bat and smoked a single to left field to score Johnston (8-6).
 
After holding Bluefield scoreless in the bottom of the eighth, the Bears needed two runs to extend the game. Calob Rowland led off the inning with a walk, and then Mason Gaines hit a single to left field. After a sacrifice bunt, both runners advanced to second and third base. With two outs, Bishop lined a single to right center field that would score both runners to tie the game to send it into extra innings (8-8).
 
Both teams were unable to score in the 10th, but the Bears were able to push three runs across in the top of the 11th. Connor Bearden hit a one out single to center and was advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Evan Bensch. After Bishop was intentionally walked, Johnston smoked a single up the middle on the first pitch of his at bat which brought home the go ahead run (9-8). McRae came up next and lined a double down the left field line to score two more to add insurance runs to the Bears lead (11-8).
 
Brooks Rosser was able to shut down the Rams in the final inning striking out the final two batters to win the game for TMU. Rosser earned the win after relieving the starter Craig Barton in the bottom of the eighth inning. Rosser was outstanding on the mound, pitching the final 4.0 innings, allowing only one hit while striking out seven.
 
Barton started the game and went 7.0 innings, allowing seven earned runs while striking out nine batters that he faced.
 
LEADERS
The Bears had 15 hits as a team as Bishop led the offense going 3-for-3 with four BB’s, two RBI’s and four runs scores. Johnston and McRae both went 3-for-7 with three RBI’s. Bearden and Gaines also had two hits apiece for the Bears.
 
GAME TWO (7-1)
After each team was held scoreless in the first, Patrick Overstreet led off the second inning with a walk. Rowland came up next and smacked a triple down the right field line that scored Overstreet (1-0). Gaines then hit a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Rowland, but that was it for the Bears in the second (2-0).
 
The Bears continued to hold Bluefield scoreless as they would add to the lead in the top of the fourth inning. After a Gaines walk, Bearden hit a double off the left field wall to put runners in scoring position with one out. Tyler Pruett then came up and hit a RBI groundout to second base to extend the Bears lead (3-0).
 
Bluefield was able to push across one run in the bottom of the fourth, but that would be it for either team until the seventh inning (3-1).
 
It was Bishop again that hit a double to left field to spark the Bears rally. Johnston came up next and hit a triple down the right field line to score Bishop (4-1). McRae then lined a single to left field to bring home Johnston (5-1). The Bears would plate two more runs in the eighth inning as Rowland hit a double and Bearden followed with a triple of his own. (7-1).
 
It was another dominate pitching performance by Cason Brown, as he earned the win after throwing 6.1 innings, allowing only one earned run while striking out five batters. Brown is now 7-1 on the year, ranking him tied for first for wins by a pitcher in the AAC and tied for fourth in the country. Rosser came on in relief again to pitch the final 2.2 innings, allowing zero runs while giving up only two hits. Rosser finished his two separate appearances this weekend by throwing a total of 6.2 innings allowing only three hits and striking out seven.
 
LEADERS
It was a team effort for the Bears as five different Bears had multiple hits and they hit seven extra base hits as a team.
Bishop was 2-for-4 with a 2B. Johnston went 2-for-4 with a 3B. Meadors was also 2-for-4 with a 2B. Rowland went 2-for-3 with a 2B and a 3B. Bearden also went 2-for-4 and hit a 2B and a 3B.
 
GAME THREE (10-6)
The Bears were unable to get anything going in the first three innings as they entered the fourth inning trailing 0-3. Meadors and Overstreet sparked the fourth inning rally as the two led off with a walk and a double, respectively. Bearden reached on a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded to score the first run for the Bears (1-3). TMU then had four two out hits to take the lead against the Rams. Pruett lined a single to centerfield to start the two-out rally, scoring Overstreet to make it 2-3. Next, Jake Beach came in to pinch hit and lined a single to right field to score Bearden to tie the game (3-3). After a Bishop single scored another run (4-3), McRae hit a single to left to score two more runs to extend the lead (6-3).
 
Bluefield would fight back to add three more runs in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at 6-6. In the top of the sixth inning, Ingram led off with a hit by pitch and Bishop followed with a walk. Then, Johnston came up and delivered a back-breaking three run home run over the right field fence to push the Bears ahead 9-6. The Bears would plate one more run in the top of the seventh thanks to a Bearden double (10-6). The Rams were unable to push any runs across in the final two innings as the Bears would go on to secure their third AAC sweep of the season.
 
Gregory Elder Jr. earned the win to push him to 4-0 on the year, after throwing 5.0 innings keeping the Rams’ hitters off balance. Elder struck out 10 batters in his five innings of work, while only walking one. Elder now has an outstanding 69 strikeouts on the year in a total of 40.0 innings pitched. Elder currently ranks first in the AAC in batters struck out per game. Nick Hammonds came in to relieve Elder to pitch the final 2.0 innings. Hammonds worked effectively as he did not allow a run and gave up only three hits.
 
LEADERS
Johnston led the team with three RBI’s as he went 1-for-4 with a HR. McRae followed with two RBI’s of his own as he went 2-for-4. Bearden was the only other Bear with multiple hits as he went 2-for-4 with a double and RBI.
 
UP NEXT
The Bears are set to host NCAA DII Emmanuel College on Tuesday, April 2, at 3:00 p.m.