ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. - Notching one of the most meaningful regular-season wins in the program's NCAA era, the Brevard College baseball team (13-8, 6-1 USA South) took down nationally-ranked no. 18 North Carolina Wesleyan University (15-6, 5-2 USAS) 12-6 on Friday evening in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
With the win, Brevard secured its first ranked victory since March 16, 2019, when the Tornados knocked off a ranked Huntingdon College team at Gil Coan Field.
Three Tornados recorded multiple hits in the victory, while eight out of BC's nine starting position players notched base hits in the massive USA South Conference victory for Brevard.
BC leadoff hitter Lucas Granata went 2-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI at the top of the order, while eight-hole hitter Kenny Pridmore (2-for-5, two RBI, one RS) and nine-hole hitter Logan Sawyer (2-for-3, two RS) fed the top of the order. Frankie Vasquez led all Tornados with three RBI, while Cale Oehler recorded a two-RBI double.
Cameron Cook earned the start, lasting four innings allowing five hits and three runs with four strikeouts. Andy Fahringer (3-0) earned the win with three innings, giving up three hits and two runs with five strikeouts. Matthew Evans and Aaron Burchett also earned an inning of work each in the victory.
Brevard got the game going with a bang, scoring five runs in the top of the first inning to take an early 5-0 advantage over the nationally-ranked Battling Bishops.
Granata kicked off things with a leadoff single, while Luke Morton reached the following at-bat on a fielding error. Logan Clark drew a walk to load the bases with nobody out, setting up Oehler who roped a two-RBI double into the left-center field gap that gave Brevard the early lead, 2-0, with no outs in the frame.
Vasquez, the defending USA South Conference Player of the Week, laid down a sacrifice bunt that brought Clark around to score. Later in the frame after CP Pyle walked and stole second, Pridmore capped off the five-run inning with a two-RBI single.
NC Wesleyan got a run back with an RBI double, but Cook forced consecutive outs to escape further damage in the first inning of play.
Brevard threatened to add to its lead in the top of the second, getting runners on second and third with two outs, but the threat was thwarted by a strikeout.
Both teams traded scoreless frames in the third and fourth innings. The Battling Bishops cut the deficit to two runs. 5-3, after a leadoff double was followed by a two-run homer, chasing Cook out of the ballgame.
Fahringer came on in relief with no outs in the fifth and sat down the hosts in order, keeping the Tornados on top by two runs through five innings played.
BC came up to the dish firing in the top of the sixth, adding its second multi-run inning of the game by scoring four runs in the frame. Bartolotti drew a leadoff walk that was followed by singles from Pridmore and Sawyer, loading the bases once again with nobody out. A pitch in the dirt allowed a chance for the Tornados to score while Granata was up to bat, but a wild careen off the backstop allowed the Battling Bishops to tag Bartolotti out at the plate.
With runners on second and third and one away, Granata poked a two-RBI single up the middle, pushing BC's lead up to four runs, 7-3. Morton and Clark followed suit with consecutive singles to plate Granata, and Morton came across to score on a balk as the Tornados built up a six-run lead midway through the sixth inning, 9-3.
NC Wesleyan threatened to put together a comeback attempt in the bottom of the sixth with the bases loaded and one out, and scored its fourth run of the game on a sacrifice fly. However, Fahringer forced an inning-ending strikeout to keep the BC lead at five runs through six innings, 9-4. The hosts added another run with an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, however once again Fahringer and the Tornado defense came through in the clutch as they forced three-consecutive outs to send the contest to the eighth inning.
BC's offensive firepower came through once again in the top of the eighth, adding three more runs to its lead to push the margin up to a 12-5 cushion. A leadoff walk and HBP followed by a one-out wild pitch put runners on second and third. Clark walked and with two outs and the bases loaded, Vasquez came through with a two-RBI single. Another wild pitch allowed Clark to come around and score, giving the Tornados a seven-run lead with six outs left to get.
Evans came on in relief in the bottom of the eighth after three superb innings by Fahringer. NC Wesleyan was able to get a pair of runners on first and second with one out, and Evans recorded a big strikeout for the second out of the inning. The Battling Bishops drew a bases-loaded walk to cut into the BC lead, 12-6, but Evans ended the inning with a looking strikeout, sending the contest to the ninth inning.
Burchett sat down the Battling Bishops in order with a pair of strikeouts to clinch the nationally-ranked victory for the Tornados
BC and NCW finish up the three-game set with a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 12 p.m.
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-BC-