BLUEFIELD, Va. (March 8, 2020) – The Truett McConnell University baseball team traveled to Bluefield College and swept the opening doubleheader (8-6, 5-1) of a three-game Appalachian Athletic Conference series on Sunday. The sweep clinched TMU's second straight AAC series win and put the Bears at 11-10, 4-1 AAC on the season, while the Rams fell to 6-11, 0-5 AAC.
GAME ONE 8-6
Sophomore Connor Bearden's leadoff walk sparked a huge inning for the Bears after a scoreless first. Fellow sophomore Will Ingram's batted ball forced a defensive wild throw, which allowed Bearden and freshman Tanner Griffith to run home (2-0). Senior Calob Rowland doubled to right field to score Ingram (3-0) but fellow senior Josh Johnston followed up with a triple to right field to score Rowland, which allowed an early four-run cushion for the Bears (4-0). The Rams answered with a run in the bottom of the second (4-1) and third (4-2), but freshman Devyn Munroe matched them with a two-RBI single to left in the top of the fourth (6-2).
Bluefield creeped back in by a single run after recording a run in the fourth, fifth and seventh (6-5), but Johnston once again tripled to right to spark the top of the eighth for the Bears. Munroe doubled to left to score Johnston (7-5) and Bearden hit a sacrifice fly to center to drive home Munroe (8-5), which concluded TMU's runs for the game. Despite Bluefield adding another run in the bottom half of the eighth (8-6), sophomore Brooks Rosser backed up by stellar defense forced a line out, fly out and strikeout to fasten the first win of the day.
LEADERS
Freshman Brian Meyer led the way going 3-for-5, with a stolen base, while Johnston and Munroe both went 2-for-5. Both of Johnston's hits were triples and Munroe led the way with three RBI's. Rowland went 1-for-2 with two runs and a double. Ingram added two RBI's and Griffith added a hit.
Cason Brown made the start for TMU and was credited his fourth win of his junior campaign after throwing five innings of six hits, four runs, three walks and two strikeouts. Rosser earned the save after relieving the final four innings allowing four hits, two runs, two walks and three strikeouts.
GAME TWO 5-1
Right off the bat Johnston scored on Munroe's sacrifice fly to right (1-0) after Johnston reached base on a double to center in the first. Bluefield answered right away in the bottom half with a run of their own, also on a sacrifice fly (1-1). The Bears got back out front right away in the second when Bearden ran home on Griffith's ground out (2-1). TMU added another run in the fourth when Mason Gaines doubled to left (3-1), another Johnston double to left added their fourth (4-1) in the fifth and a Meyer single to center rounded out TMU's runs for the day (5-1).
LEADERS
Johnston led the offense going 2-for-4 with two runs, while both hits were doubles. Meyer and Gaines each went 1-for-2, while Meyer added another stolen base.
Craig Barton earned his second win of his junior campaign after throwing a complete game of three hits, one run, two walks and seven strikeouts.
UP NEXT
The Bears will face Bluefield for game three on Monday at 1:00 p.m., before returning home to the TMU Baseball Complex on Wednesday, March 11, to host Southern Wesleyan University at 2:00 p.m.
