Blue Hose Split Doubleheader with Asheville; Secure Series Win in Rubber Match

The Presbyterian College baseball team (14-15, Big South: 6-3) split their Saturday doubleheader against UNC Asheville (10-18, Big South: 3-6), falling 5-4 in the opener before bouncing back with a commanding 12-7 victory in the rubber match to secure the series win.

HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME ONE – AVL 5, PC 4

• UNC Asheville struck early, scoring twice in the first inning and extending their lead to 4-0 with a two-run homer in the third. The Bulldogs kept the Blue Hose off the board through the first three frames.
• Presbyterian responded in the fourth when Trey Fenderson led off with a double to right field, advanced to third on a groundout, and scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-1.
• Asheville added another run in the seventh to push their lead to 5-1.
• Trailing by four entering the ninth, the Blue Hose mounted a late rally. Amman Dewberry led off with a solo home run, followed by a Matthew Rollison single. Ryan Ouzts then crushed a two-run homer to left, bringing PC within one.
• Despite the late surge, Asheville held on for the 5-4 win.

NOTABLES – GAME ONE

• Dewberry’s ninth-inning homer was his fourth of the season.
• Ouzts’ two-run shot in the ninth marked his seventh home run of the year.
• Fenderson’s fourth-inning double was his seventh of the season, tying for the team lead.

HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME TWO – PC 12, AVL 7

• The Blue Hose wasted no time in the second game, striking first in the second inning. Dewberry led off with a double, advanced to third on Rollison’s sacrifice bunt, and scored on an Ouzts single up the middle. Nick Smith and Ryan Becker followed with singles to load the bases before Linker delivered a two-run single to give PC a 3-0 lead.
• In the third, Fenderson led off with a single and later scored on a two-out RBI double by Rollison, extending the lead to 4-0. However, Asheville responded in the bottom half with three runs, highlighted by a solo homer from Asheville’s Jake Minarik, cutting the deficit to 4-3.
• Presbyterian kept the pressure on in the fourth, adding two more runs. Becker singled, Linker doubled, and a wild pitch allowed Becker to score. Rhogue Wallace followed with an RBI single, making it 6-3.
• Asheville answered with a run in the bottom of the inning to stay within two.
• The Blue Hose pulled away in the sixth with a four-run explosion. Becker was hit by a pitch, Wallace singled, and Fenderson drove in a run with an RBI single. Jake Randolph then ripped a two-RBI triple down the right-field line, scoring Wallace and Fenderson. Dewberry capped the inning with an RBI groundout to give PC a 10-4 lead.
• Fenderson notched his fifth hit of the game in the eighth with an RBI single to left, scoring Linker. Asheville attempted a comeback in the bottom of the inning, scoring three runs to cut the deficit to 11-7.
• In the ninth however, Rollison walked, stole second and third, and was brought home by a Becker single for an insurance run.
• With Presbyterian’s defense shutting down Asheville in the ninth, the Blue Hose sealed the 12-7 victory and clinched the series win.

NOTABLES – GAME TWO

• Fenderson went 5-for-5, tying the program’s all-time single-game hits record.
• Dewberry recorded doubles in the second and eighth innings.
• Rollison doubled in the third, Linker in the fourth, and Randolph tripled in the sixth.
• Sean Hollister pitched 4.1 innings of relief, striking out four while allowing just one run on three hits.

UP NEXT

Presbyterian opens April with a road matchup against South Carolina in Columbia on Tuesday, April 1 with a first pitch set for 7:00 p.m.