[Baseball] Baseball Sweeps Past Hiwassee College
MONTREAT, N.C. – While the Cavs' softball team was sweeping the Brenau Tigers several miles away in Black Mountain, its baseball team took two from a quality Hiwassee College team in Montreat at Newell Field.
Game 1 (Montreat 2 - Hiwassee 1) (Seven Innings)
Weekday games can be high-scoring affairs as teams typically rest their starting rotation, but that wasn't the case as the Cavs' James Crowder (JR/Tallahassee, FL) shut down the Tigers (21-15) over six innings to help Montreat earn the 2-1 win. Ethan Minn (SR/Bristol, CT) and lefty Mitchell Donahue (SR/LaGrange, GA) worked a hitless seventh inning in combination to close out Hiwassee.
Offensively, the Cavs got just enough for the win on RBIs from fellow freshmen Ryan Pereda (FR/Miami, FL) and leftfielder AJ Knight (FR/Kannapolis, NC). Shortstop Robert Hernandez (JR/Miami, FL) led off for Montreat (18-22, 7-11) and went 2-for-3 and had an active day around the bag at second with two putouts and two assists to help limit the Tigers to one run.
Game 2 (Montreat 5 - Hiwassee 4) (Seven Innings)
Coach Jason Beck gave Dawson Lane (FR/Lakeland, FL) the start in game two for the Cavaliers as they went for the sweep. Lane yielded three runs over two complete innings before junior Tanner Parham (JR/Lenoir, NC) came in to relieve him. Parham worked the next 3 & 1/3 and allowed just one run while striking out a batter. He was relieved by Will Price (FR/Greenville, SC) who had a sharp outing and worked the final 1 & 2/3, yielding just one hit and no runs. With the effort, Price picked up the win for the Cavaliers.
At the plate, Montreat scored three over the final two innings for the comeback win. Kevynn Arias-Liriano (SO/Santa Domingo, DR) and Aaron Takacs (JR/Oviedo, FL) each homered for the Cavs to help power the victory. Arias-Liriano got the start at first in the second game while game one first baseman Austin Priesel stepped behind the plate for the Cavaliers. Caleb Talton (JR/Lexington, SC) and Ricardo DeArmas (SR/Miami, FL) each had two hits for the Cavaliers, while Pereda drove in the final two runs for Montreat to seal the victory.