[Baseball] SAU Baseball Sweeps WV Tech in weekend series

LAURINBURG, N.C. - The St. Andrews University Baseball team swept their non-conference home series with NAIA foe West VA Tech University over the weekend.

SAU took the first game 8-2 on Friday before rallying to win game two 10-5. They then rallied again in game three with four runs in the 7th for a walk-off 8-7 win before dominating game four for a 10-3 victory and a 4-0 weekend. This is the seventh straight win for the Knights over the Bears and second straight year that they swept WVT.

SAU improves to 6-2 on the season while WVUT falls to 0-4.

Game 1: SAU 8, WV TECH 2

Junior starter Zach Mathes (JR/Collinsville, IL) (2-0) threw seven stellar innings allowing five hits and two late runs (0 unearned) on 1 walk and 7 strikeouts to get his second win as SAU rolled to an 8-2 game one win Saturday.

Junior catcher Ivan Vazquez (JR/Caguas, Puerto Rico) led the Knights offensively with a mammoth first inning three-run home run over the left field wall. SAU then added three more runs in the 2nd inning to lead 6-0 before adding two more in the fourth to put the game away.

Offensively, other than Vazquez and his four RBIs and two hits, SAU was led by multi-hit games from center fielder Ryne Dickens (SR/Reidsville, NC) and sophomore 2B Cameron Harvey (SO/Greenville, SC) while senior 3B Nolan Pierce (SR/Laurel Hill, NC) and DH Maliq Johnson (SO/Red Springs, NC) also drove in runs with hit or sac fly.

SAU outhit WVT 10-5 with seven different players recording hits led by freshman shortstop Luis Barrios (FR/Richmond, VA), junior LF Noah Whalen (JR/Buffalo, NY), and junior RF Josh Wallace (JR/Seagrove, NC), who stroked a double. SAU also stole nine bases in game one led by three from Dickens and two from Harvey.

Game 2: SAU 10, WV TECH 5

WVU Tech got out to a 4-0 lead after four innings in game two Saturday scoring all runs off Knights sophomore starter Davis O'Brien (SO/Kernersville, NC), who went 4 innings allowing 4 hits and 4 runs with 0 walks and 2 Ks but got a no-decision.

SAU then began their monstrous comeback by scoring two runs in the fifth as they trailed just 5-2 heading into the sixth. The Knights then began their rally in the 6th as they sent 11 men to the plate scoring 8 runs to steal the game from the Bears.

SAU only managed 7 hits but had 2 RBIs apiece from Dickens, sophomore Dean Pulley (SO/Rolesville, NC), and junior catcher Seth Spillman (JR/Charlotte, NC) while Dickens had the lone multi-hit game. Recording extra-base hits were Pulley, Pierce, and Spillman with Pierce's double eventually turning into a little league home run as he raced around the bases taking advantage of an error from the WVT center fielder.

Relievers Matt Strickland and Zach Saylor (SR/Jamestown, NC) then closed out the game throwing scoreless innings with Saylor throwing a perfect seventh.

Game 3: SAU 8, WV TECH 7

SAU got off to a quick start in game one on Sunday getting out to a 2-0 lead before WVU Tech tied it in the 2nd inning. SAU then added one each in the 2nd and 4th innings to lead 4-2 until the Golden bears rallied for four runs in the 5th and one in the 6th to lead 7-4 heading into the bottom of the 7th.

SAU started off the big inning with 3 straight singles from Johnson, Vazquez and Wallace to cut it to 7-5. Senior DH Emerson Gross (SR/Seldan, NY) then doubled in the tying runs before sophomore pinch-hitter J.R. Polak (SO/Smithfield, VA) singled in the winning run as WV Tech is still looking for their first out and win.

Senior starter Trevor Maly (SR/Channahon, IL) threw 4 and 2/3 innings allowing 9 hits and 6 unearned runs on no walks and 4 strikeouts while sophomore reliever Cole Tysinger (SO/Lexington, NC) (1-1) pitched two innings allowing two hits and one run with two Ks to pick up the win.

Offensively SAU put up 12 hits from 9 different players led by a 3 hit and 2 RBI game from Gross and a multi-hit game from Spillman while 6 different Knights drove in runs. Dickens, Harvey, and Gross also recorded extra-base hits.

GAME 4: SAU 10, WV TECH 3

Senior pitcher Zach Saylor (1-0) started the second game on Sunday and lasted five innings allowing 6 hits and 3 earned runs on 2 walks and four strikeouts while relievers Landon Kincaid (SR/Morganton, NC) and Nolan Pierce tossed scoreless innings as well.

SAU got out to a quick 4-0 lead after two innings until giving 3 back in the third. SAU then held their one-run advantage until the 5th inning when they scored 6 runs while sending 11 men to the plate to seal the four-game sweep.

Dickens, Pierce, and Vazquez led the Knights with multi-hit games combining for 7 hits and 4 RBIs while Gross and Vazquez each drove in two runs apiece to outhit the Bears 11-6. Dickens also stole two bases while infielders 1B Chris Stubbs (SO/McColl, SC), SS Barrios, and 2B Harvey all recorded hits with the middle infielders stealing bases.