(MOUNT BERRY, Ga.) – The sixth-seeded Thomas More College baseball team fell, 6-5, to sixth-ranked and top-seeded Emory University today (Wednesday, May 18, 2016) at the Mount Berry, Georgia Regional of the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship hosted by Berry College at William R. Bowdoin Field.

With the loss, the Saints fall to 30-11 and will play either Birmingham-Southern College or Huntingdon College tomorrow at 11 a.m. in an elimination game.

Junior center fielder Casey Metzger (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) opened the game with a double down the left line.  Metzger gave the Saints a 1-0 when he scored on an Emory error during senior first baseman Donovan Pogue's (Sharonville, Ohio/St. Xavier) at-bat.

The Saints increased the lead to 3-0 in the top of the third when sophomore second baseman Ben Laumann (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) scored when freshman designated hitter Sean Lawrence (Independence, Ky./Simon Kenton) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and then senior left fielder Zach Fardo (Alexandria, Ky./Bishop Brossart) had a SAC fly scoring Pogue.  Emory took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the third inning when it plated four runs.

In the top of the fourth inning the Saints took a 5-4 lead when freshman catcher Sam Hauer (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) hit a two-run single scoring Pogue and Laumann.  The Eagles scored a run in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game at 5-5.

Emory scored a run in the bottom of the eighth inning, which ended up being the eventual game-winning run for the 6-5 victory.

Five Saints had multiple hits in the game and led by Hauer, who was two-for-four with two runs batted-in.  Metzger was two-for-four with a double and a run scored, Laumann was two-for-five with a double and two runs scored, Pogue was two-for-four with two runs scored and junior right fielder Ben Kenning (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) was two-for-four.

Senior pitcher Tim Baldrick (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) started and pitched four innings giving up five runs (all earned) on six hits and struck out one.  Sophomore pitcher Jayson Essell (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) pitched three shutout innings of relief and allowed three hits, while striking out two.  Sophomore pitcher Josh Cain (Cold Spring, Ky./Newport Central Catholic) suffered the loss as he pitched one inning of relief and gave up one run (earned) on two hits, while walking two.