CENTRAL, S.C. - - Host Southern Wesleyan claimed a doubleheader baseball sweep over UVa-Wise in non-conference action Friday. The Warriors won the opener 12-8 before holding off a late Cavalier rally to win the nightcap to 8-6.
Southern Wesleyan (8-2) lined 13 hits in the opener as the Warriors got to UVa-Wise starter Will Stamper in the fourth frame.
The Warriors plated six runs in the inning to take a 6-0 lead, with the decisive blow coming on Devin Patrick's three-run homerun.
The Cavs (1-7) would respond with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth on a two-RBI single by Brett Yates only to see the hosts answer with four more runs in the home portion of the frame to put the game away.
UVa-Wise picked up a two-run triple from Josh Haga, a solo homer from Tyler Blaum and a run-scoring single from yates in the top the of sixth before David Thomas' two-run homer in the seventh supplied the team's seventh and eighth run.
The 13 hits were a season-high for Hank Banner's club but the team was unable to overcome the Warriors' offensive output.
T.J. McEvilly took the mound win, allowing two runs, one earned, while scattering six hits in five innings of work.
Connor Ewing led Southern Wesleyan's offense with a 3-for-4 day at the plate with four RBI.
Haga, Yates, Matthew Branham and Dawson Cagle had two hits each in a losing effort.
Game two saw UVa-Wise starter Trevor Nevill and Southern Wesleyan starter Mike Batten lock horns in a pitcher's duel until the bottom of the third inning.
In the inning, the Warriors used a trio of hits a three hit batsmen to push across five runs.
Wesleyan would a single run in the fifth on a RBI hit by John Garrett to push the lead to 6-0.
UVa-Wise got on the board in the sixth on a run-scoring double off the bat of Thomas and a RBI groundout by Matt Wright to cut the lead to 6-2.
As was the case in game one, the Warriors responded in the home half of the inning. Quinton Bent lined an RBI double before A.J. Canine's groundout plated Ewing to push the lead to 8-2.
The Cavs put up a fight with its final three outs as Yates produced an RBI single before Branham belted a three-run homer to make the score 8-6.
Banner's club would get the go-ahead run to the plate but Josh Antwine shut the door to complete the sweep for Southern Wesleyan.
Blaum led UVa-Wise with a 3-for-4 game at the plate while Wright and Jordon Turner posted two hits each in the loss.
Alex Tokar earned the mound win by tossing two innings of four-hit, two-run ball. Nevill was saddled with the loss after surrendering five runs in four innings of work.
The two teams are scheduled to wrap up the series with a single nine game tomorrow at 12 p.m.
