Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 The Maryville College baseball team suffered a heartbreaking end the USA South Tournament on Sunday, as Huntingdon College escaped with the tournament crown.
Huntingdon won a pitcher's duel in the first game of the day, 1-0, before escaping game two with a 9-8 win.
Maryville had the bases loaded in a ninth-inning rally, before a hard-hit fly ball ended Maryville's tournament.
The Scots will await the NCAA Selection on Sunday, May 8, for a potential at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. This season, Maryville has already become the winningest team in the Scots' 140-year history, earning a 29-15 mark.
Those 29 wins break the school record of 28 set during the 1995 season.
For Maryville, Evan Ezell, Clifton Dempsey, Andrew Henry and Seth Debity earned All-Tournament honors for their play in the 2016 tournament.
In game one, Maryville's Debity pitched a complete game, allowing only four hits. He struck out nine batters, while walking only two.
Huntingdon scored the contest's only run behind a safety squeeze bunt, as Josh Hines scored Mason Thorneberry.
Maryville saw Johnny Carpenter lead the Scots' four-hit attack with a 2-for-3 day, as Zack Blonder and Logan Jenkins each collected a hit.
In game two, errors came in to play.
Huntingdon scored two runs in the first, as Jordan Criswell laced an RBI double to left to score Alec Raley. Gunnar Peters found an RBI single to right-center to score Anthony Spivey for a 2-0 Hawks lead.
Maryville knotted the game in the bottom of the inning, as Henry scored on an error off a Jenkins bunt. Blonder scored Jenkins with a sacrifice fly, as the game was tied 2-all.
Huntingdon regained the lead in the top of the second, as Josh Jackson scored while Hines was picked off steal second.
However, the Scots took control in the bottom of the inning, as Ezell scored on a Dempsey hit. Henry scored Dempsey with an RBI single. Henry again scored on an error off a Jenkins' bunt, as Maryville led 5-3 after two innings.
Two errors in the top of the fourth helped the Hawks to take a commanding lead, as they scored six runs on only four hits. Patrick Kucera and Raley each recorded RBIs for Huntingdon in the inning, as Peters hit for a two-RBI single. Going to the fifth, the Hawks led 9-5 over Maryville.
In the bottom of the sixth, Maryville plated a pair of runs. Carpenter used an RBI single to left center to score Dempsey. Chris Ervin followed suit with an RBI up the middle to score Jenkins, as the Scots trailed 9-7.
Maryville loaded the bags in the bottom of the ninth, as Henry recorded an RBI to score Patrick Messinger. However, it wouldn't be enough.
Maryville was led by Henry's 3-for-5, two-RBI, two-run day, while Jenkins went 2-for-5 with two runs. Carpenter was 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Depmsey and Ezell each went 2-for-4. Dempsey scored two runs, as Ezell plated one. Greg Vourloumis went 1-for-1. Ervin was 1-for-5 with an RBI.
Huntingdon (24-17) was led by Peters who went 2-for-4 with three RBI. Josh Jackson was 2-for-4 with two runs, while Landon Sessions was 2-for-5 with a run scored. Raley was 1-for-5 with two runs and an RBI for Huntingdon.
