GEORGETOWN, TEXAS - Southwestern University Baseball faltered in game one, before pulling off a gritty game two victory on Friday at home. The Pirates dropped game one 9-2, but bounced back with a hard-fought 4-3 win in the second game. Southwestern moves to 3-11 in the SAA as the current cut line to the make the conference tournament is 5-7 Berry College. The tournament qualifies the top six teams as the Pirates have seven crucial games remaining.
The Pirates bullpen has been searching for arms to step up and deliver scoreless frames all season. The squad delivered on Friday as freshman
Weston McWhorter, freshman
Cam Fucik, junior
Lawrence Lara, and senior
Tres Organ combined to allow only two earned runs in 8.2 innings of relief.
GAME 1
Senior
Darion Rogers received the start as the Pirates desperately needed to win this series, running out of SAA games. The sophomore surrendered three runs to an offense who was previously ranked as high as ninth in the nation as a team. However, the squad bounced back as freshman
Alex Ervesun stroked a clutch RBI as the Pirates trailed 3-2 after an eventful first inning.
Rogers exited the game after four innings, giving the ball to McWhorter. The Colonels tallied a run in the fifth on an inside the park home run as the Pirates center fielder missed a diving play that rolled to the wall. Fucik entered the game in the sixth and tossed a career performance with four innings, allowing only one run on two hits. Despite an early deficit the story was the Pirates offense unable to manufacture timely hits in the loss.
GAME 2
The Pirates pitching staff has been the weakness this season, but they stepped up in a big way for the game two win. Freshman
Samuel Garcia gave the Pirates a quality start, tossing 5.1 innings on three earned runs and only four hits.
Sophomore
Chase Adams started the day offensively with a single up the middle to score the first run. Ervesun was consistent on Friday with an RBI double, followed by a sophomore
Brandon Lang single to right field as the Pirates led 3-1 after five. Garcia totaled six walks, but continued to squeeze out of the big jams before the Colonels broke through in the sixth with a two-run home run.
Lara was the player of the game entering in the sixth and recording the last two outs of the frame. Junior
Owen Stevenson lifted the ball in the sixth for a sacrifice fly to score senior
Connor Duffey as the Pirates led 4-3. Lara preceded to throw 3.0 innings of scoreless ball with zero walks.
The junior exited the game with a runner on second and one out in the ninth. Organ changed gloves to record record the final two outs in the clutch moment as the Pirates secured their third SAA victory. Lara earned the victory and Organ grabbed his second save.
UP NEXT
Southwestern shifts to Saturday's series finale against Centre College at noon. The game marks the 24th and final home game of the season in a pivotal matchup for tournament implications.
