HobbsDailyReport.com
Former Maiden High star Aaron Rembert is now head baseball coach at Mars Hill College.
HICKORY = Hunter Merrill’s run-scoring triple in the seventh inning lifted visiting Mars Hill to a 6-5 baseball victory over Lenoir-Rhyne University on Friday at Bears Field.
Merrill’s hit came after Matt Honeycutt of the Lions had a two-run double that broke a 3-all tie in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) game.
The teams play a doubleheader at LRU on Saturday (1 p.m.) on Senior Day for the Bears.
LRU is 21-20 overall and 6-13 in the league and Mars Hill, coached by former Maiden High star Aaron Rembert, is 24-19, 10-9.
Sophomore first baseman Alex Reynolds hit a two-run home run and junior shortstop Tripp Hamrick had two RBIs for the Bears in Friday’s loss.
Tom Mastrodnato threw the final four innings, improving to 3-1, after striking out six in relief and Shomarii Thomas and Gray McCurry homered for the Lions.
The Bears’ Thomas St. Clair (9-3) took the loss. He struck out 11, adding to his national lead in strikeouts (110).
Mars Hill 6 (24-19, 10-9 SAC) LRU 5 (21-20, 6-13 SAC)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI
Hunter Merrill 2b………. 3 2 2 1 Zach Jacobs rf…………. 4 1 2 0
Daniel Vitello cf………. 5 1 3 1 Fred Wadsworth 3b………. 5 0 1 0
Brett Brubaker 1b………. 5 0 1 0 David Newcomer 2b………. 5 0 1 0
Matt Honeycutt c……….. 4 0 1 2 Cole Abshire pr……….. 0 0 0 0
Gray McCurry 3b………… 4 1 1 1 Marcus Shoemaker lf…….. 4 2 2 1
Barrett Hennings lf…….. 4 0 0 0 Alex Reynolds 1b……….. 4 2 2 2
Harrison Keslar lf…….. 0 0 0 0 Josh Kent dh…………… 3 0 1 0
Shomarii Thomas dh……… 3 1 2 1 Tripp Hamrick ss……….. 3 0 0 2
Lance Edwards ss……….. 4 1 0 0 Grant Fuller cf………… 3 0 0 0
Devin Mangum rf………… 3 0 0 0 Justin Lara ph/cf……… 1 0 0 0
Alec Bivins p………….. 0 0 0 0 Cole Fowler c………….. 3 0 1 0
Blaine Farrell p………. 0 0 0 0 Brandon Lam ph………… 0 0 0 0
Kaleb McCurry p……….. 0 0 0 0 Thomas St. Clair p……… 0 0 0 0
Tom Mastrodonato p…….. 0 0 0 0 John Curtis p…………. 0 0 0 0
Totals………………… 35 6 10 6 Totals………………… 35 5 10 5
Score by Innings R H E
Mars Hill 002 100 210 – 6 10 0
LRU 010 110 020 – 5 10 1
E – D. Newcomer (11). LOB – Mars Hill 6; LRU 8. 2B – M. Honeycutt (6); A. Reynolds (12); J. Kent(7). 3B – H. Merrill (5). HR – G. McCurry (5); S. Thomas (4); A. Reynolds(8). HBP – Z. Jacobs. SH – Devin Mangum (2). SF – M. Shoemaker (3); T. Hamrick (2). CS – S. Thomas (3).
Mars Hill IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO
Alec Bivins …………… 4.1 7 3 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 19 21 8 5
Blaine Farrell ………… 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
Kaleb McCurry …………. 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0
Tom Mastrodonato W,3-1…. 4.0 3 2 2 2 6 0 1 0 0 15 17 4 2
LRU IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO
Thomas St. Clair L,9-3…. 6.1 8 5 4 2 11 1 0 0 0 26 29 5 2
John Curtis …………… 2.2 2 1 1 1 5 0 0 0 0 9 10 1 1
WP – T. St. Clair (10). HBP – by Alec Bivins (Z. Jacobs). BK – Mastrodonato (3). Strikeouts – H. Merrill; D. Vitello; B. Brubaker 4; M. Honeycutt 2; G. McCurry; B. Hennings 2; S. Thomas; L. Edwards 3; Devin Mangum; F. Wadsworth; D. Newcomer; M. Shoemaker; T. Hamrick 2; J. Lara. Walks – H. Merrill 2; S. Thomas; J. Kent; B. Lam.
–Reported by LRU Sports Information