February 2, 2009

Contact: Sean Forrester 

>>>Boxscore

Falcon Bats Explode in 17-4 Pounding of Georgia Southwestern
 

MONTEVALLO, Ala. – The University of Montevallo baseball team (2-1) had two six-run innings and scattered five more runs throughout the game to dismantle the Hurricanes of Georgia Southwestern State University (1-2), 17-4. The Falcons had five players with multiple hits while junior Cory Luckie (Fairhope, Ala./Bevill State C.C.) led all batters with three.

Luckie went 3-of-5 with three runs scored and an RBI while junior Andy Revell (Albertville, Ala./Snead State C.C.) was 2-of-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Juniors Chris Sosebee (Warrior, Ala./Jefferson State C.C.) and Nelson Garcia, Jr. (Tampa, Fla./Sickles) each had their first homeruns of the season. Sosebee was 2-of-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored while Garcia was 2-of-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Senior Dustin Rhodes (Starkville, Miss./Starkville) was 2-of-4 with three runs scored.

Picking up the win was freshman Mitch Holcombe (Oak Grove, Ala./Oak Grove) who pitched 3.1 shutout innings while allowing just one hit and striking out four. Sophomore Stephen Taylor (Clanton, Ala./Chilton County) got the start going 3.0 innings with four strikeouts and four runs given up. Freshman Wes Rich (Pelham, Ala./Pelham), sophomore Mat Turner (Louisville, Ky./Labette C.C.) and junior J. Stoddard (Meridian, Miss./East Mississippi C.C.) combined for 2.2 shutout innings while Rich picked up two strikeouts and Stoddard had one.

The Falcons fell behind early as the Hurricanes scored four runs in the second inning off of five singles and a passed ball. The Falcons waited just one inning to respond as they scored their first two runs in the bottom of the third. Freshman Duston Daugherty (Hoover, Ala./Hoover) opened up the inning with a single to center field and was brought home just two batters later as Garcia nailed a shot over the left field fence to make the score 4-2.

The very next inning the Falcons strung together a pair of hits along with a sacrifice bunt to score Rhodes and cut the lead to just one.

The first big inning came in the fifth as UM scored six runs off just three hits due to two costly errors by the Hurricanes. Senior Jeremy Jones (Troy, Ala./Lurleen B. Wallace C.C.) opened up the inning with a walk and then proceeded to steal second. Luckie used a well placed bunt to gain first base while Jones moved to third. Sosebee then singled through the right side to pick up one of his RBIs. Rhodes then hit a dribbler to the shortstop that trickled through the fielder’s legs to allow Luckie to score.

That was followed by a pair of hit by pitches to load the bases as well as score a run. The biggest error came just two batters later as the third basemen bobbled the ball and then threw it past the first baseman to score all three runners on base. The Falcons ended the fifth up 9-4. They added two runs in the very next inning as Sosebee hit a two-run homerun over the right centerfield wall to give the Falcons an 11-4 advantage.

The offense exploded once again in the seventh as the Falcons used four hits and an error to score six more runs. Revell had two singles in the inning as the line-up batted around. The Hurricane pitchers continued to lose control as they hit two more batters in the inning for a total of six in the game.

The Falcon pitching staff shut down the Hurricanes for eight innings only allowing GSW to score in the second frame.

The Falcons return to action Friday, Feb. 6 at 3:00 p.m. as they host No. 34 Carson-Newman College.

 
 

                                                                               ###