JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI - Southwestern University Baseball dropped game one at Millsaps College in a pitchers dual, 4-2. However, the Pirates offense bounced back in game two in the win to set up a Sunday rubber match, 9-5.
GAME 1
Both teams entered the game eliminated from SAA Tournament play, but willing to lay it on the line for the final weekend of competition. Sophomore
Darion Rogers received the start for the Pirates who was consistent, twirling his second eight plus inning start of the season.
The Pirates offense got on the board in the fourth inning with a junior
Owen Stevenson RBI double to score senior
Tres Organ. In the fifth inning, Organ walked to score junior
Ben Feuer as the Pirates trailed 4-2 after five innings. Despite the four runs through five innings, Rogers kept the Pirates in more than striking distance tossing a scoreless sixth, seventh, and eighth inning.
Southwestern's offense went stale, leaving nine runners on base in game one, leading to a loss as Rogers was the lone Pirate pitcher going eight innings, surrendering four runs, and striking out six.
GAME 2
The second game was the complete opposite for the Pirate offense, scoring the first seven runs. The squad applied the pressure on the Majors in the first, manufacturing base runners and committing productive outs. Feuer smashed a double in the second, while junior
Cale Cochran scorched a key single in the third to make it 4-0 Pirates.
Freshman
Alex Ervesun has been red hot to end the season with 13 hits in his past eight games. The freshman doubled and Cochran singled to make it 6-0 after five innings. Organ doubled in the sixth to make it seven Pirate runs for his 147th career hit, sitting at .300 for the season after the day.
Freshman
Zane Heiliger went seven innings for the second time this year. The Pirate starter was clean through five innings before giving up his first run in the sixth, but freshman
Cory Mathews got the run back with an RBI single. Heiliger went back out in the eighth and ran out of gas, responsible for four earned runs. The early offense still proved to be plenty as the Pirates won 9-5 with 15 hits on the day.
NOTES
- Southwestern starting pitching was excellent, giving a massive 15.1 innings between Rogers and Heiliger.
- Heiliger has stacked up five straight starts with at least five innings.
- Both starters have gained valuable experience and innings logged with a combined five years left of eligibility between the duo, along with freshman starter Ben Roska.
- Ervesun, Feuer, and Cochran combined for nine hits in game two as each totaled three.
- Feuer led the team with five on the day, coming an ankle injury a few weeks ago along with playing elite defense at short.
UP NEXT
Southwestern will close the season with a rubber match against the Majors on Sunday at 1 p.m.
