CLEVELAND, Ga. (Feb. 29, 2020) – After defeating the defending national champions once on Friday, the Truett McConnell University baseball team clinched the Appalachian Athletic Conference series win over No. 1 Tennessee Wesleyan University on Saturday afternoon at the TMU Baseball Complex. The Bears dropped game one 7-5, which put split the series 1-1, but TMU turned around to take game three 5-3 to clinch the series win 2-1. The Bears improved to 9-10, 2-1 AAC, while the Bulldogs fell to 11-14, 1-2 AAC.
GAME ONE 5-7
Both teams went back and forth throughout the first three innings, however, it was the Bears who got up on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the first when Mason Gaines sent freshman Devyn Munroe home on a single to right field (1-0). The Bulldogs answered with a run of their own in the top of the first after a leadoff double that led to a RBI single (1-1). Freshman Tanner Griffith put TMU out front again in the bottom of the second when Calob Rowland's batted ball forced a defensive error (2-1). But TWU rallied to record a big four-run inning in the fourth on three hits and a TMU defensive error (2-5). In response, Rowland blasted a home run over the right field fence (3-5) and Munroe followed with a RBI single to minimize the deficit to one run (4-5).
Nonetheless, another TMU defensive error allowed another TWU run (4-6) but another Munroe RBI single in the bottom of the sixth brought the Bears back within one (5-6). The top of the eighth, however, saw the Bulldogs record their seventh and final run on three hits (5-7) and TMU was unable to fully recover.
LEADERS
Munroe had a perfect day offensively going 3-for-3 with two RBI's, while Rowland also added two RBI's. Senior Josh Johnston led with two runs.
Freshman Andrew Fry made the start for TMU and was handed his first loss of his career after 7.1 innings of 11 hits, six earned runs, two walks and four strikeouts. Junior Craig Barton relieved the final 1.2 innings to record one walk and one strikeout.
GAME TWO 5-3
Similar to game one, both teams went head to head throughout the first three innings. TWU scored in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly (0-1) but TMU answered right away with a run of their own on Brian Meyer's sacrifice bunt (1-1), and again the Bulldogs scored in the second (1-2) and third (1-3). But the Bears recorded their biggest inning in the bottom of the third. The first two runs came on Connor Bearden's double (3-3), and Griffith's single to shallow right field scored two more (5-3) to ultimately fasten the series win. Most notable, the Bears got out of the sixth inning allowing zero runs after the Bulldogs got the bases loaded.
LEADERS
Bearden, Griffith and Evan Bensch each went 2-for-3, while Bearden and Griffith added two RBI's apiece. Johnston added a double and Meyer added a RBI.
Sophomore Brooks Rosser was credited the win after throwing 5.2 innings of four hits, three earned runs, six walk and five strikeouts. Bensch tallied his first save of his senior campaign after relieving the final 1.1 innings.
UP NEXT
The Bears will host Toccoa Falls College on Tuesday, March 3, at 2:00 p.m., before their first AAC roadtrip at Bluefield College on Friday, March 6 – Saturday, March 7.
