Braves rebound for series win over FMU

FLORENCE, S.C. — To say Friday’s series opener against Francis Marion didn’t go well for the UNC Pembroke baseball team would be an understatement. More broadly, that statement could have been applied to the last couple of weeks too, with the Braves having lost five straight and eight of their last nine.

But UNCP flipped the series to its favor Saturday with a pair of one-run victories, winning 4-3 and 6-5 to earn a series win against the Patriots.

“Last night, we just got teetotal mollywhopped by them, from right out of the gate, they commanded the game from the first pitch to the last pitch,” UNCP coach Paul O’Neil said. “So for us to be able to win two games today, I’m proud of our team, I’m proud of the gumption that they have, as far as having the will to want to succeed. So I couldn’t be more pleased with their effort today.”

Francis Marion (32-11, 19-8 Conference Carolinas) scored 11 runs in the first inning in Friday’s 18-11 win; the Braves (23-18, 11-13 CC) came back with a three-RBI performance from Blake Hinson in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, then used a go-ahead hit from Isaias Villarreal as part of a two-run eighth inning to win the series finale. UNCP right-hander Seth Willis got the save in both games.

“This weekend was huge,” Villarreal said. “Coming out Friday, we battled that whole day Friday, but coming out with the energy that we had Saturday, it was much needed. It was a streak that we needed at the end of the season to get us going into the final (two) series.”

UNCP had been swept in its previous two Conference Carolinas series against Emmanuel and Belmont Abbey, and also lost a midweek nonconference tilt Tuesday against Wingate.

“You’ve just got to keep going,” Hinson said. “When you face adversity, you’ve just got to keep going, that’s all you can do. You can’t make excuses, just keep going.”

The slump-busting wins for UNCP came against a Francis Marion team that entered the series as the 23rd-ranked team nationally in Division II, coached by longtime UNCP assistant Jeff Jefferson in his first season.

“I think Jeff is doing a fabulous job at Francis Marion; I knew he would,” O’Neil said. “He’s turned around that program in seven months, eight months. He’s got them nationally ranked right now; he’s doing a tremendous job. They should give him a raise at Francis Marion.”

UNCP continues to play its home games away from Pembroke due to ongoing renovations at Sammy Cox Field. After playing Francis Marion at CarolinaBank Field in Florence, the Braves returned there Tuesday to host Catawba in a nonconference game; the result was unavailable at press time. UNCP will host Erskine for a three-game conference series beginning Friday in Cary.

Game Two

The doubleheader opener turned on the talents of Hinson, a New Bern senior who has made an impact on the field over all four years he’s been in the Braves program. Hinson notched two hits and drove in three of the Braves’ four runs.

This included the go-ahead hit in the fourth inning on a single up the middle to drive in Morgan Padgett and Villarreal for a 4-3 advantage.

“They were giving me the middle of the field; the second baseman was playing in the four-hole and the shortstop was over, so they gave me the middle of the field, so my approach was just to get on top of something and get up the middle and just run for it,” Hinson said.

Hinson also drove in a run in the second inning as part of a two-run frame for UNCP that cut a 3-0 FMU lead to 3-2. After Ramses Cordova singled to drive in Padgett, who had two hits and two runs for the Braves, Hinson’s hit brought home Ashton Donathan.

“He’s a very good player, and if we’re going to win games, we need people like Blake to play at a high level for us,” O’Neil said. “And it was nice to see him come through. He’s a good player, but more than him being a good player, he is a quality human being.”

Two UNCP relievers accounted for five scoreless innings to get the Braves’ victory across the finish line. Rhett James (3-2) earned the win after allowing just one hit with two strikeouts in two innings before Willis got his first save of the day with a hitless, three-inning, seven-strikeout performance.

“I had all my pitches working, the fastball and the changeup was working all day and then surprise them with the curveball or the cutter, and it all seemed to work pretty fair,” Willis said. “And I was just commanding the zone today effectively.”

Noah Stout homered in the top of the second to drive in all three of the Patriots’ runs.

Euson Rijnaldo (9-2) went the distance on the mound for FMU, allowing four runs on eight hits with five strikeouts. Caleb Oakley and Stout recorded the Patriots’ only two hits.

Game Three

The nightcap was tied at 4-4 going into the bottom of the eighth before UNCP struck for its outcome-settling runs. Will Hood’s one-out double set the stage for Villarreal, who beat the shift with a single to the right side to drive in Hood for a 5-4 lead.

“It wouldn’t have started without (Hood) getting on base, making something happen,” Villarreal said. “And then I was looking to get the ball in play, find a hole and put our team ahead.”

Ramses Cordova then extended the lead later in the frame with an RBI single to left field to score Landon Lucas.

That set the stage for Willis, who had thrown 33 pitches three hours earlier but was ready and willing to go for another save.

“Seth was like ‘hey, I’m good, I’ve got one more bullet in the gun.’ I said let’s fire it,” O’Neil said. “We were going to fire it — if we were up by one, he was going in the game. I wasn’t going home with a bullet in my gun. … He’s had a great year for us. He’s been our main guy at the end of the games for us. He’s been extremely valuable, and another very high-character individual.”

Will Dorrell hit a line-drive home run to right field to lead off the ninth, but Willis struck out the next three batters to complete the 6-5 victory. Willis’ eighth save of the season marked the first time in his career he’s gotten two saves in the same day.

Jonathon Jacobs pitched 5 2/3 innings for UNCP, allowing six hits and three earned runs with four strikeouts to earn a no-decision.

“I thought Jon did everything Jon could do, he gave us 5 2/3 and he came out with the lead,” O’Neil said. “He was at 102 pitches when I took him out. … Of course we gave up the lead right after that, but we were fortunate to get it back. I thought Jon threw the ball good and gave us a chance to win.”

Landon Lucas (3-2) threw 2 1/3 innings of relief, allowing one hit with four strikeouts, earning the win and setting the stage for Willis.

Jacobs and Madden each allowed one hit through three scoreless innings to start the game before Francis Marion took a 3-0 lead in the fourth with a two-RBI single by Jimmy Koza and another run scored on a Braves error.

UNCP answered with a four-run fourth to take a 4-3 lead. After a Hood RBI single got the Braves on the scoreboard, an popped-up bunt by Villarreal fell in for a hit to lead the bases; Jake Bradley scored on a wild pitch, before an RBI groundout by Lucas brought home Hood and a sacrifice fly by Ramses Cordova plated Villarreal.

Will Dorrell’s RBI single for FMU in the sixth tied the score at 4-4, but the Patriots stranded two in the inning as the Braves avoided further damage.

Hood had three hits and scored twice and Villarreal and Cordova each had two hits for UNCP.

Stout and Dorrell each had two hits for Francis Marion. Madden earned a no decision, pitching into the fourth and allowing three runs; Daniel Barcena (3-2) pitched the final five innings and took the loss, allowing three runs on six hits with five strikeouts.