BUENA VISTA, Va. - The Brevard College Baseball team (13-6, 3-0 USA South) swept its conference-opening series against Southern Virginia University (7-9, 0-3 USAS) on Saturday in Buena Vista, Virginia.
The Tornados and Knights battled in a slugfest in the second game of the three-game series, with BC ultimately coming out on top 19-16 in a game that featured 35 combined runs and 19 combined scores in the final four innings of play. Brevard then came out with a ferocious offensive performance in the series finale, scoring 15 runs in the first two innings in a 23-6 record-breaking rout of the Knights in a contest that was called after five innings of play. BC set the program single-game run record with 23 runs scored in only five innings of game action.
GAME ONE - BREVARD 19, SOUTHERN VIRGINIA 16
Senior infielder Blake Burchett became the program NCAA-era leader for career stolen bases, swiping a pair of bags to bring his career total to 56 - surpassing former Tornado great and Major League Baseball sixth-round draft pick Champ Stuart's 55 career stolen bags. Burchett went 2-for-5 in the game with three runs scored and two RBIs.
Junior outfielder Logan Clark led the Tornados with a four-hit output in game number one, including his second home run of the season to go alongside two runs scored, two RBIs, and a pair of stolen bases. All told, eight Tornados had multiple hits in the 22-hit, 19-run explosion, as Lucas Granata matched Clark with four base hits in a 4-for-5 day at the plate. Cale Oehler hit a home run in a 3-for-6 outing with three runs scored and two RBIs, while Zach Allison, Brett Burchett, Luke Morton, and Frankie Vasquez each tallied two hits apiece in the slugfest.
Freshman Jacob Frizzell (1-0) earned his first collegiate victory on the mound, as the Sylva, North Carolina native threw two and two-third innings of relief allowing five hits and four runs. Fellow freshman Matt Evans, a Yulee, Florida product, threw a shutout ninth inning to log his first career save as a collegiate player.
Brevard scored first, taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the first after an error and RBI groundout. SVU answered back with a solo home run off of BC starting pitcher Connor Crosby to cut the deficit to one, 2-1.
BC pushed its lead up to 5-1 after a pair in the second and one run in the third, but the Knights were able to find an answer in the bottom of the fourth with a five-spot to take a 6-5 lead.
Brevard scored three in the top of the fifth to take a two-run edge, 8-6, but SVU tied the contest up with a two-run homer in the bottom half of the frame to tie things back up as the contest continued to shift back and forth.
Southern Virginia seemingly had the game under control after striking for seven runs in a monster bottom of the sixth inning to take a commanding 15-8 lead with three innings left to go, but Brevard's offense would not be deterred.
The Tornados surged for a 10-run top of the seventh inning that included back-to-back home runs by Clark and Oehler and numerous extra-base hits by the visitors, as Brevard sent a total of 14 batters to the plate and found themselves on top by three runs, 18-15.
The Knights cut the deficit to two in the bottom of the seventh with a sacrifice line out, but Frizzell was able to hold the hosts there. Following a rare scoreless frame in the eighth, Brevard added a crucial insurance run in the top of the ninth as Morton's RBI single brought Allison around to score to push the edge to three runs, 19-16.
Evans came on in the bottom of the ninth and worked around a pair of one-out baserunners to deliver the series victory for the Tornados in the wild affair.
GAME TWO - BREVARD 23, SOUTHERN VIRGINIA 6 (5 INNINGS)
Brevard exploded for a program-record 23-run performance in the span of just five innings in the series finale, as BC tallied six extra-base hits and program records of 21 RBIs and 14 walks drawn.
Parker Crews got the start at designated hitter for the Tornados and did not disappoint, logging his first career hit at Brevard - a first-inning grand slam as part of BC's seven-run first inning.
Morton led all Tornados with three hits while Oehler and Vasquez also hit home runs to make it a five-homer day for Brevard. BC scored its record 23 runs in just 16 hits, and the Tornados extended their nation-leading stolen base total to 76 with four more swiped bags - including two from the DIII leader Blake Burchett to bring his season total to 22.
Bryce Bowers (2-1) got the start in the mercy-rule-shortened contest, striking out five batters in a complete-game five-inning win.
The Tornados return home next weekend to take on Pfeiffer University in the USA South home opener, beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 25 at 1 p.m.
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-BC-