MEMPHIS, Tenn. – UWF baseball (14-8, 6-2 GSC) made it nine straight wins with a doubleheader sweep of Christian Brothers (5-14, 1-7 GSC) Sunday at Nadicksbernd Field. The Argos came back from an early hole to win 9-4 in the first game and then finished the day with an 11-0 win.
The Argos scored the twinbill's final 15 runs. Chase Evans picked up his first career UWF win in Game 1, and Dylan Mills-Derouen helped the Argo staff to author its third shutout of the season in Game 2. Argo bats outhit Christian Bros. 25-15 for the two games. Nic Strasser finished the day with three hits, including a home run, three runs scored and two RBIs.
Game 1: UWF 9, CBU 4
Tony Kucera got the start for the Argos and lasted into the third in Game 1, surrendering three runs (two earned) on five hits while striking out two. He would take a no-decision. Chase Evans (1-0) entered in relief and proceeded to fire four frames of one-hit, no-run ball. He struck out five and walked just one on his way to his first win of the season.
"Chase Evans did a nice job of holding them right there with four innings in the middle of the game to pick up the win and gave us a chance to start swinging the bats," said UWF head coach Mike Jeffcoat.
Joey Bend got the Argo scoring going by stealing home in the second. Trailing 3-1 in the fifth, UWF got the fourth home run of the season from Strasser to cut the deficit to 3-2. The team tied the game 3-3 in the sixth on a squeeze play by Jacob Silverstein that again scored Bend.
"We executed some bunts that forced them to make some plays, and they didn't," explained Jeffcoat. "That got us back to a tie game."
In the seventh, the team opened a 5-3 lead. Brandon Harmon and Nick Kerkmann each laid down bunts that led to CBU errors and Argo runs. In the 8th, Robert Lopez stole home to make it 6-4. The Argos got a 2-RBI double from Matthew Jones in the 9th to help seal the 9-4 win.
"We started swinging the bats like we have been to open the game up," said Jeffcoat. "The rest of the relievers - Josh Pahlad and then Alex Knight - did a nice job of finishing it up. It was a solid first game victory."
Strasser, Harmon, Bend, Jones and Matt Sullivan all finished with two hits. CBU starter Peyton Sanderlin (2-4) suffered the loss. He went seven innings and surrendered 11 hits and five runs (four earned). Josh Pahlad pitched a scoreless seventh for UWF. Alex Knight earned the first save of his UWF career by entering the contest with the score 6-4 in the eighth and getting the final six outs.
Game 2: UWF 11, CBU 0
Dylan Mills-Derouen (2-0) continued his dominant work on the mound with five shutout innings and eight strikeouts to spur the Argos to a commanding 11-0 win in Game 2. Mills-Derouen allowed just just three hits and two walks, throwing 82 pitches to pick up his second victory. Trace Penton and Whitt Davis completed the shutout with a scoreless inning each.
"Dylan Mills threw great," praised Jeffcoat. "He went five innings. We got him out of there so I could get Penton and Whitt Davis an inning each."
The Argos scored early and often in Game 2, with Matt Sullivan getting the scoring going with a two-RBI double in the first vs. CBU starter Gil Erwin (0-4). Like Sullivan, Trevor Payne would finish the game with two RBIs. Sullivan, Jones, and Payne all finished with two hits.
"We got on the board with two first inning runs and never looked back," said Jeffcoat. "Very happy with the sweep."
The Argos built a 6-0 lead going to the 7th, and, in the top half of the final frame, finished the successful day off with five more runs. Strasser, Bend, Jones, Hunter Lucas, Bryant Harris Jr., and Mason Dinesen all finished with one RBI. UWF outhit CBU 13-5.
The teams conclude the series tomorrow with a nine-inning game starting at noon. The Argos are expected to start LHP Kirk Maddox (1-2, 3.10 ERA).
"We've got to rack up all the wins we can and finish up this series tomorrow with the same intensity as today," said Jeffcoat. "We've got to try to finish this sweep to get ready for a tough test going to Mississippi College [next weekend]."
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