MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Millsaps baseball team (10-22, 8-14 SAA) split a doubleheader at Rhodes College (16-12, 12-9 SAA) with a 3-1 win and 8-1 defeat at Stauffer Field on Friday.
Game One: 3-1
Sophomore pitcher
Wil Wood was dealing for the Majors in Game One. Wood struck out six batters in 8.2 innings of work. He gave up one run and only walked one Lynx. Senior
Ryan Erwin recorded the final out of the game after Wood was struck with a pitch in the leg.
At the plate, senior
Mason Little had a productive day, going 3-for-4 with an RBI. Teammate
Chris Hart went 1-for-3 and added an RBI as well.
Wood breezed through three batters in fourth, fifth and seventh innings and fanned the final batter to get out of a jam in the eighth as well as the first two Lynx he faced in the ninth.
Hart got the Majors on the scoreboard in the third with an RBI single up the middle which scored reigning SAA Baseball Player of the Week
Sam Pitre from second.
Paul Giacomazzi singled down the left field line to score a run and tie up the game at 1-1 for Rhodes in the bottom half of the third.
Millsaps regained the lead for good in the fifth with a Little RBI single to score Pitre, putting the Majors up, 2-1.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Lynx were then unable to take advantage of a leadoff single and runner who eventually advanced to third with two outs. Wood successfully lined out Chris Penna to center field to end the threat.
The Majors looked destined to add to their lead in the seventh as Little singled, but
Mark Petkovsek Jr. was thrown out at the plate after attempting to score from second.
The Lynx would have another golden opportunity to do some damage on their side, but Wood shut the door in the eighth. Rhodes would put runners on first and second with two outs, but Wood fanned Will Heurtin to get out of the inning.
An
Alan Merkle RBI sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth would score Walker from third to add some much needed insurance and a 3-1 lead.
Wood would then strike out the first two Lynx batters in the ninth, but had to be pulled after a line drive struck him in the leg. Erwin recorded the last out on a grounder that he threw to first baseman
Avery Brock for final putout and secure a 3-1 triumph.
Game Two: 1-8 (7 innings)
Millsaps struggled to stop the Lynx attack and were unable to string together enough offense in Game Two.
Sophomore
Jacob Dickinson went 2-for-2 in the contest, while teammate
Joshua Laurent provided an RBI as a pinch hitter in the seventh.
Rhodes totaled 10 hits and forced the Majors into four errors. The Lynx scored in each of the first five innings to build a comfortable 8-0 cushion.
Millsaps had runners on first and second with two outs in the fifth but were unable to capitalize.
The Majors were able to break up the shutout bid in the seventh when Laurent singled to left field, scoring
Will Neely from second.
The same two teams will battle it out to decide the series with another doubleheader, beginning at 12 p.m. on Saturday. Live video and live stats will be available at gomajors.com.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Millsaps baseball program follow the Majors on Twitter and Instagram, like Millsaps Majors Athletics on Facebook or visit gomajors.com.
