Crusaders continue to dominate, extend winning streak to 10 games
Posted by The Skyliner on March 16th, 2011Billy Watson
Staff Writer
The North Greenville baseball team won all four of its games over the break to improve their current winning streak to 10 games.
The Crusaders began the two-week stretch by traveling to Due West, S.C. to face the Flying Fleet of Erskine College, who, at the time, were ranked in the top 30 of the NCAA Division II baseball rankings.
In a great game, the Crusaders came out with a 1-0 victory over the Flying Fleet.
Ryan Woodring, freshman undecided, got the start on the mound for the Crusaders and pitched seven innings, giving up just three hits and striking out five. Brian Giles, senior sport management, came on in relief in the eighth inning to get the save for the Crusaders. The shutout was the first time Erskine had been shut out in 74 games.
The Crusaders scored their only run in the first inning after Anthony Foulk, junior sport management, singled and Adam Taylor, sophomore business administration, connected for a double advancing Foulk to third. After a Derek Fulmer, junior business, walk David Frazier, junior sport management, connected with a fly ball to left to score Foulk and give the Crusaders all the runs they needed. Taylor led the Crusaders at the plate going 4-for-5, while Foulk went 2-for-4.
After defeating the Flying Fleet the Crusaders then traveled to Anderson, S.C. to take on the Trojans of Anderson University on March 2. The Crusader bats came alive in a 10-5 victory, the team’s eighth win in a row.
Mike Benjamin, senior business administration, got the start on the mound for the Crusaders and went five innings, giving up four runs on three hits but recorded the win for the Crusaders. Caleb Phillips, sophomore Christian studies, came on in relief and pitched a solid two innings, giving up just one run on one hit. Nate Richards, senior interdisciplinary studies, pitched the final two innings giving up no runs on just two hits.
Taylor once again led the Crusaders at the plate going 3-for-5 with four runs batted in. Fulmer went 3-for-5 from the plate with two runs batted in.
After two games at Gardner-Webb University were rained out, the Crusaders returned to the diamond on March 7 in Tigerville. The Crusaders dominated Southern Wesleyan University in a 16-5 victory.
Drew Provence, junior business, got the start for the Crusaders and proved to be too much for the Warriors to handle. Provence pitched 6 2/3 innings, giving up four runs and tallying seven strikeouts. Provence was replaced by Daniel Goodnight, senior business administration, who pitched 1 1/3 innings, giving up just one hit. Matt Benjamin, senior business administration, threw one inning, giving up one run on three hits.
The Crusaders started their scoring early, scoring five runs in the first inning. They struck again with five more in the third and then tacked on three runs in the fifth and eighth innings.
The Crusaders were led offensively by a host of players. Taylor went 3-for-5 with two runs batted in, while Fulmer went 3-for-4 with a run batted in. Andrew Lawrence, sophomore accounting, went 2-for-3 with three runs batted in and Taylor Hollifield, freshman secondary education, went 3-for-5 with a run batted in, while John Reinholz, sophomore broadcast media, went 3-for-4 with a run batted in.
The Crusaders took the field for the last time over the break on Tuesday, March 8 when they hosted the Bears from Lenoir-Rhyne University. The team started out slow but used some late-inning heroics to secure the 8-7 win.
Woodring got the start on the mound for the Crusaders but lasted just two innings after giving up seven runs on three walks and four hits. Michael Benjamin replaced Woodring and was lights out for six innings of relief, giving up only two hits and no runs while striking out four and picking up the win for the Crusaders. After gaining the lead in the eighth inning, Giles pitched a perfect ninth inning to secure his fourth save of the year.
Losing 7-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Crusaders rallied for six runs on four hits to take the lead and steal the win from the Bears.
Foulk led the Crusaders at the plate going 3-for-5 with two runs batted in. Taylor added two more runs batted in while going 2-for-4 from the plate and Fulmer finished 2-for-5 with a run batted in.
After the comeback win the Crusaders now hold a 10-game winning streak.
The team put its winning streak on the line Tuesday, March 15 as they hosted Erskine College. The Crusaders are on the road in Central, S.C. today as they take on in-state rival Southern Wesleyan University before they return home to Ashmore Field for a three-game series this weekend against Young Harris College beginning Friday, March 18 at 2 p.m.
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