SEWANEE, Tenn. - The Sewanee baseball team opened the 2020 season at Montgomery Field with an unbeaten day. The Tigers took down the Bearcats of Brescia, 7-3, in the opening game of the twinbill before the second game ended in an 11-11 tie due to darkness.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final Score (Game 1): Sewanee 7, Brescia 3
Winning Pitcher: Hampton Long (1-0)
Losing Pitcher: Wyatt Griskey (0-1)
Final Score (Game 2): Sewanee (1-0-1) 11, Brescia (2-3-1) 11
Sewanee Athletics Social Media | Twitter/Instagram: @SewaneeTigers
Baseball Social Media | Twitter: @SewaneeBaseball
HOW IT HAPPENED, GAME 1
-Brescia tacked single runs in the second and fourth innings to lead 2-0 after three and a half innings of play.
-Chris McNulty evened the score with one swing. After a Jared Demkowicz walk, the senior launched a shot down the left field line to even the game at two runs apiece.
-Sewanee took the lead for good in the fifth with a two-run single by Wesley House before adding three runs in the sixth to lead 7-2. Tyler Dunbar sent a fly ball over the right center field wall to make it 6-2. Later, House tacked on his third run batted in of the game with an RBI groundout.
HOW IT HAPPENED, GAME 2
-Scheduled for a seven-inning game, the visitors struck first for a six-run top of the first inning.
-The top half of the opening frame did not stop the Tigers, as they got back in the game with a four-run bottom half. After an RBI double by Wesley House, Wade Sansone followed with a two-run double to make it 6-3. Later, he would score on a wild pitch.
-The contest became interesting in the next two offensive innings, as the Tigers claimed the lead for the first time. In the second, Chris McNulty evened the score with a two-run dinger. In the third, Ben Harper knocked a double to the right center field gap to score Jake Woolard.
-However, the Bearcats would reclaim the lead in the next half inning with back-to-back RBI singles by Chase McLaren and Mike Lonak.
-In the bottom of the fourth, McNulty tied the game again with a base hit to left.
-Once again, Brescia would take the lead, and they would make it a three-run affair, 11-8, thanks to a sac fly and a two-run single.
-The Tigers rallied for a third time in the game with two big moonshots. McNulty made it a one-run contest, 11-10, with a two-run moonshot. Two batters later, Sully McCreery sent a fly ball over right field fence to even the score at 11 runs each.
-Brescia had another opportunity to reclaim the lead in the top of the seventh, but the visitors left the bases loaded after Jake Pendergraft painted the corner to get a called third strike to send the game to the bottom half of the seventh.
-With the daylight fading on the Domain, the Tigers had an opportunity to win it in the bottom of the seventh. After two quick outs, Jack Galanek knocked a single to right field to put the winning run on base. However, the inning ended on a flyout to center field.
-The umpires called the game after seven innings due to darkness.
SEWANEE KEY STATISTICS
-Chris McNulty had a three-homer day in seven plate appearances. In game one, he launched a two-run home run and scored a run. In the second game, he was a perfect 3-of-3 with two homers and five RBI.
-Garrett Liebe also posted a homer in game one, while Jake Woolard was a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs scored in the second game.
-Wesley House finished with four RBI on the day, three coming in game one.
-Hampton Long (1-0) fanned five batters in 2.1 innings of relief work to secure the win in the first game.
BRESCIA KEY STATISTICS
-Chase McLaren finished the day with five hits and RBI each, with the runs batted in coming in game two.
-Wyatt Griskey (0-1) allowed four earned runs and struck out nine in five innings as he took the loss.
UP NEXT
Sewanee will next host Carroll (Wis.) for a three-game series beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday at 11 a.m.
For the latest news on the Sewanee Tigers, follow @SewaneeTigers on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.