Ferrum Baseball Sweeps Eastern Mennonite To Open ODAC Play
Special Report by Taylor Chitwood, Sports Info. Student Assistant at Ferrum College
FERRUM, Virginia — The Ferrum College baseball team opened Old Dominion Athletic Conference play with a twinbill sweep of Eastern Mennonite University at Panther Field Saturday afternoon. The Panthers took the opening game 8-4 and followed with a 4-2 win in game two.
RECORDS
Ferrum (11-5, 2-0 ODAC)
EMU (10-8, 0-2 ODAC)
THE BASICS
Tim Ortega got things started early for the Panthers in game one as he left the yard with a two-run shot over the left field fence in the home half of the first inning, putting the Panthers up 2-0 early.
EMU would cut the lead in half in the third as Jacob Merica executed the squeeze play to perfection, scoring Billy Quinn. The Quinn run would prove to be the only earned run on Panther starter Drew Calohan‘s line. Ferrum would answer right back in the home half of the frame, putting up a four spot to extend the lead to 6-1. Grey Sherfey would open the scoring for the Panthers in the inning, crossing the plate off of a ground ball to second from the bat of Josh Greenway. Tim Ortega would score later on in the inning as Ozzie Torres would reach on a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded. Ferrum would scratch across two more in the inning off of an EMU miscue to close out the scoring.
Sherfey would lead off the Panther fourth with a triple to right field and Ortega would pick him up with a sacrafice fly immediately following the triple to put Ferrum up 7-1. Both teams would then be held silent until the seventh when more timely at-bats paid off for the Panthers. Isaac Yeaman would bring Torres across to score via a sacrifice fly.
The Royals would put a rally together in the top of the eighth as Brett Lindsey hit a three-run shot to left field, but the Panther pen would shut the door on the comeback bid with Cory Peel getting the final out of the game for his second save of the season.
Game two saw the Panthers take the early lead in the opening frame again as Greenway doubled to left center, bring Sherfey around to score.
Ferrum would get all the insurance it needed with three runs in the fourth inning. Ortega would score the first run of the inning on a Christian Campbell walk with the bases loaded. Connor Dopp would then fly out to right field, getting credited with a sacrifice fly as Greenway would come across to score on the play. The inning was capped off with a Kyle Anstice walk scoring Campbell, and the Panthers would take a 4-0 lead.
EMU would scratch across a few runs in the later innings as Robert Guenther would bring home Lindsey with a sacrifice fly in the sixth and Skylar Lacks would score John Judy in the eighth with a ground ball to first, but again the Panther pen would answer the call as Jacob Tomlin would get the final four outs and earn his first save on the season.
KEY STATS – Game 1
Ferrum: Ortega 2-3, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI; Torres 2-4, 2 R, RBI; Calohan (W, 4-0) 8.0 IP, 4 H, ER, 9 K
EMU: Lindsey 1-3, HR, 3 RBI; Merica 1-3, R, RBI; Judy (L, 2-2) 5.0 IP, 7 H, ER, 7 K
KEY STATS – Game 2
Ferrum: Greenway 1-2, R, RBI; Campbell 1-3, R, RBI; Davis (W, 3-1) 7.0 IP, 4 H, ER, 8 K
EMU: Judy 1-4, R; Lindsey 1-5, R; Riddick (L, 2-2) 3.1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 K
UP NEXT
Head Coach Ryan Brittle’s bunch will hit the road Saturday, March 14, to take on Bridgewater College. The ODAC double-header is schedueled to start at 12 p.m. at Bridgewater Baseball Field in Bridgewater, Va.