HobbsDailyReport.com
HICKORY – Lenoir-Rhyne University has a shot at reaching 20 baseball wins on Saturday.
The Bears — after opening a South Atlantic Conference (SAC) series at home on Friday night by beating Mars Hill 9-6 — go into a doubleheader on Saturday at 18-9 overall and 7-3 in the league.
REMBERT
The first pitch at Bears Field is 1 p.m. as LRU battles a team (5-16-1, 2-8) coached by Aaron Rembert, the MVP of Maiden High’s 1999 state 1A baseball title team. He is in his fifth season as Mars Hill’s head coach.
On Friday night, LRU senior outfielder Marcus Shoemaker broke a 6-all tie with the game-winning, two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Mars Hill’s Travis Owens and Christian Stampler each hit home runs but the Lions couldn’t hold a 6-2 advantage midway through the fourth inning.
Junior first baseman Alex Reynolds and red-shirt freshman second baseman Brock Johnson each had three hits and an RBI to lead the Bears’ 16-hit attack.
Sophomore Nolan Flachofsky (2-0) earned a win while senior Landon Whitson struck out the side in the ninth inning for his sixth save of the year.
Mars Hill’s Kaleb McCurry fell to 0-3 after taking the loss.
LRU has won three straight SAC games, rallying from at least a two-run deficit in all of those victories.
- Reported by LRU Sports Information