BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Birmingham-Southern baseball team won two out of three games against current SAA leaders Hendrix on Friday and Saturday. The Panthers run-ruled the Warriors on Friday while splitting the doubleheader on Saturday.
Game 1
For the seventh consecutive game, the Panthers offense delivered with at least 10 hits. They did not score in the top of the first, but
Forrest Lietz brought the first runs of the game home with an RBI double down the left field line in the bottom of the second.
Parker Ladd then put the ball in play to score
Ty Truett later in the inning.
In the succeeding inning, Hendrix tied the game up on a two-run shot to left field. The next two innings remained stagnant with neither team able to muster the go-ahead run.
The game looked to be headed towards a tight finish until the Panthers unleashed the hitting in the bottom of the sixth. To break the deadlock,
Charlie Banks hit his first collegiate home run on a crushed drive over the left field wall into the Striplin Field parking lot. The rally continued as
Parker Ladd,
Eli Steadman, and
Andrew Dutton all hit RBI singles to stretch the lead to 6-2. After starting the inning with a homer,
Charlie Banks was then hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to record his second RBI of the inning. In the next at bat,
Forrest Lietz earned his second and third RBIs of the game on a single to right center field. The eighth and final run of the inning was then produced by
Ty Truett on an RBI single to give BSC a huge 10-2 lead.
In the top of the seventh, the Warriors hit their second home run of the game over the left field wall before another RBI was produced with the bases loaded. However,
Tams Mullins managed to get out of the jam and preserved a 10-4 'Southern lead.
Ian Hancock then got in on the RBIs in the bottom of the inning with a sac fly to put the home side up 11-4.
Mullins kept Hendrix scoreless in the top of the eighth while the Panthers continued to score runs for the third straight inning.
Andrew Dutton beat out a tough ground ball to the shortstop to score the 12th run for BSC before
Jackson Webster was hit by a pitch for the second consecutive at bat to make the score 13-4. With the bases still loaded, Hendrix then balked to give BSC the 10-run lead and clinch the game one win by default.
Game 2
After another huge day hitting in game one, the Panthers got cold in game two. Hendrix scored the game's first run in the top of the first on an RBI single, but the scoring came to a halt. Neither team scored for the next four and a half innings with the Panthers failing to record a hit.
In the top of the fifth, the Warriors produced four RBIs split by a double to left field and a single to center field. They then added another on a sac fly in the succeeding inning to take control of the game up 6-0. The Panthers still had not recorded their first hit through five innings at the plate.
BSC managed to get the bases loaded in the top of the sixth inning after two HBPs and a single.
Ian Hancock then was hit by a pitch for the third HBP of the inning to score BSC's first run of the game.
Charlie Banks was then walked with the bases loaded to score a second before
Jakob Zito brought
Jackson Webster home to make the score 6-3.
In the eighth, Hendrix scored a huge insurance run on an RBI single to take a four-run lead into the final six outs for BSC.
BSC didn't score in the eighth but did not give up hope.
Grant Morgan got the rally started with a pinch hit solo homer in the bottom of the ninth. The Panthers then loaded the bases via two walks and another hit by pitch.
Charlie Banks was then hit by a pitch in the next at bat to bring the deficit to two. With the bases still loaded,
Forrest Lietz came up clutch with a two RBI single to tie the game and set it to extra innings.
Momentum seemed to be on the side of the Panthers, but Hendrix scored on a passed ball in the top of the tenth to ultimately take game two, 8-7.
Game 3
After letting game two slip away late, the Panthers needed game three to clinch the series win. Neither team scored in the first inning, but the Panthers scored first this time in game three. After
Ian Hancock and
Forrest Lietz singles,
Charlie Banks singled to left field to bring both of his teammates home.
After returning a week ago,
Hansen McCown was spectacular on the mound for BSC. The senior only allowed one hit through the first four innings and preserved the 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the fourth,
Eli Steadman tripled with two outs to double the BSC lead, 4-0. McCown then came back in for his final inning and allowed no hits for the fourth consecutive inning.
In the next inning,
Ty Truett roped a two-out triple to give the Panthers a huge 6-0 lead with only six outs to spare for the Warriors. Truett then scored on a passed ball to score the home team's seventh run.
Hendrix prevented the shutout in the top of the sixth on an RBI single, but
Ian Hancock brought the margin back to seven by bringing home
Eli Steadman in the bottom of the sixth.
Ricky Harrison came in for the final inning of the day ad struck out the side to solidify the 8-1 win and more importantly the 2-1 series win over Hendrix.
Records
(RV) Birmingham-Southern 19-12 (8-7 SAA), Hendrix 19-12 (9-6 SAA)
Up Next
BSC will travel to travel to Memphis, Tenn. to take on Rhodes on Saturday, April 13 at 12:00 p.m.
