BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. – GAME 1 – In what is a basically loser-leave-town scenario, Blue Mountain Christian and UT-Southern kicked off their three-game SSAC series here Friday with a doubleheader that saw the Toppers take Game 1 by a score of 16-7.
BMCU starter
Matthew Koch (4-4) got plenty of offense, as he tossed a complete game, giving up six earned runs on just five hits with six Ks to earn the victory on the bump
It didn't take the Toppers long to score, as Arderrius "Peeko" Townsend unloaded on the first pitch he saw of the game for a three-run homer to left-center, his 23
rd of the season.
Three more crossed for BMCU in the second, capped a sac-fly from
Hayden Redding and two bases-loaded walks, making it 6-0.
Tyrese Roberson would double in a run in the third, and later single in a run in the fourth, while Redding had another sac-fly in the fourth.
The Toppers continued piling on in the fifth as
Josiah Rivera singled in a run and
Austin Garrison doubled down the line to score another, giving BMCU a 13-3 lead.
Blue Mountain would score three more in the sixth to secure the series opener.
Roberson, Rivera, Garrison and
Chris Smith all had two hits each for the Toppers, with Townsend driving in four and Rivera, Garrison and Coles all driving in two each. Crawford would also score three times and be hit by pitch four times.
GAME 2
UT-Southern rebounded in Game 2, winning 8-4 and holding the Toppers to just one big offensive inning.
UT-Southern struck first with a run in the opening inning against Topper starter
Cole Giordano.
The Firehawks would get RBI doubles from Rhett Birdsong and Trent Rhinehart in the third and fourth innings to make it 4-0.
The Firehawks ran ace Tracy Lacy out to the mound in the nightcap, as he would hold the Toppers hitless for five innings before breaking through in the sixth for three runs.
In the inning,
Austin Garrison and
Hayden Redding tripled to opposite lines, with Redding's being an RBI.
Josiah Rivera would have an RBI single to left to make it 4-3.
Topper reliever
Shaine O'Keefe pitched a strong fifth but ran into trouble in the sixth and would load the bases. The Firehawks took advantage and plated two runs to make it 6-3 after six.
Blue Mountain would try and mount a comeback in the ninth, as
Hayden Arant drilled an RBI single up the middle, but that would be all they could get.
Rivera would have two hits for the Toppers at the plate, while Giordano (3-3) suffered the loss, going four innings, giving up four earned runs on six hits with three Ks.
The two teams will decide the series, and a spot in next week's SSAC Championship, with a 9-inning affair at 1 p.m. CT. The Toppers will honor its seniors 30 minutes before first pitch.
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