LRU SCHEDULE: https://lrbears.com/schedule.aspx?path=baseball
CURRENT SAC STANDINGS: https://www.thesac.com/sports/bsb/2018-19/standings
HobbsDailyReport.com
HICKORY – Lenoir-Rhyne University’s baseball team has a chance to climb to .500 after sweeping a weekend series at home over West Virginia State.
The Bears (5-6) face Belmont Abbey on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Bears Field.
STAMPER
Over the weekend, LRU beat West Virginia State 11-8 on Sunday, keeping the visitors winless in seven games this season.
At 5-6, the Bears join Coker, Mars Hill and Queens as South Atlantic Conference (SAC) teams below .500.
Catawba has the best start at 11-1, and Carson-Newman is 10-3.
LRU’s first conference games are this weekend, a three-game series at Newberry (S.C.) that starts with a Friday game at 6 p.m. On Saturday, the teams play a doubleheader with the first pitch scheduled at 1 p.m.
The Bears’ opening home league games are set for March 1-2 against Anderson (S.C.)
LRU 11, West Virginia State 8 (Sunday)
The Bears had a five-run eighth inning as they ran their win streak to four.
Aaron Stamper went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs, scored twice and had two doubles to lead LRU, which had eight players get at least one hit.
Grant Fuler, Clayton Jeffries, Matthew Freeman and Alex Reynolds each had two hits for the Bears.
LRU starter Jake Conroy, a junior, went 5 1/3 innings. He gave up two runs on three hits with seven strikeouts. Reliever Kevin LaRosa got a win after he pitched 2 2/3 innings.
West Virgina State’s Hunter Bradley was touched for six earned runs on 13 hits and five walks, going seven innings, and reliever Matt Harrison took a loss.
Connor Slagill and Antonio Brown each had three hits for the Yellow Jackets and Slagill drove in two runs.
LRU 14, West Virginia State 4 (Saturday)
Paul Hall threw 5 1/3 innings, striking out seven and holding the Yellow Jackets scoreless, to lead LRU. He improved to 2-1 by scattering seven hits.
Nolan Flachofsky went three innings for the Bears and gained his first save of the season.
Corbin Watson went 4-for-5 for LRU, driving in two runs and scoring two.
Christopher Jordan, Andrew Stone and Brown each had two hits for West Virginia State.
LRU 7, West Virgina State 6, 10 inn. (Saturday)
Grant Fuller provided the Bears with a walk-off hit in the 10th inning that won the game.
The Bears’ Alex Shirazi struck out 10, going 5 1/3 innings and giving up three earned runs on five hits.
Griffin Templeton picked up a win in relief, pitching an inning after Hunter Martin went 3 2/3 innings for LRU.
Stamper went 4-for-5 and drove in three runs for the Bears and scored twice. Fuller also went 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in a run.
Jordan was 3-for-5 for the Yellow Jackets.
- Reported by LRU Sports Information