Ranked No. 3: North Greenville baseball takes another W
Photo courtesy of Robert Gawrys
Kelsey Watson, Staff Writer
The North Greenville baseball team performed a shutout this weekend on Ray & Bea Dillard Field.
After a fall to FMU on Friday, April 12 with a score of 6-3, the Crusaders beat the Francis Marion University Patriots with final scores of 6-4 in game one and 17-3 in game two in their doubleheader on Saturday, April 13.
The Crusaders won the series, making it an incredibly special senior day for the team.
North Greenville celebrated the hardworking senior student athletes who have given their all to the sport. Seniors Pat Monteith, Jax Cash, Dawson Taylor, Nate Roof, Cade Spikes, Matthew Murphy and Zach Zara were honored. Along with the seniors were graduate students Collin Fowler, Nate Lamb and Reece Fields.
NGU baseball’s record in conference play is now 18-6, with losses to University of Mount Olive, UNC Pembroke, Barton College, Belmont Abbey College and Francis Marion.
In game one, Fields became the all-time strikeout leader in NGU baseball history. In the bottom of the first inning, Monteith hit his first home run of the day to score the first run for the Cru.
Both teams would go scoreless in the second inning, but in the third inning, Monteith hit his second home run, making the score 3-0 Crusaders. The Patriots answered in the fifth inning, bringing in three runs to tie the game.
This surge did not last long for the Patriots as the Crusaders answered with three runs in the sixth inning. Jax Cash hit a triple to score two runs and Zach Cowart had a bunt single that scored one run.
In the top of the seventh inning, the Patriots came back with a one run home run. Even with the homer, the Crusaders took game one 6-4.
In game two, Monteith hit his third home run of the day in the first inning and held FMU to zero. NGU also led the second inning, scoring four runs to the Patriot’s zero.
Francis Marion came back in the third and answered with a three-run inning, but could not hold the Crusaders, who scored two.
Neither the Cru nor the Patriots scored any runs in the fourth inning, but North Greenville had junior David Lewis hit a three-run home run to bring in more runs for the Cru.
The Crusaders scored three runs in the sixth inning and four in the eighth inning. Freshman Landon Peavy hit a home run in the eighth inning, driving in three of the four runs. NGU also held Francis Marion to gain no more runs after the third inning.
Standout players of the day were Monteith, who finished with four hits and three home runs within the two games. Pitching was solid in game one, in which Fields struck out six batters and only allowed four runs and five hits. Lewis and Peavy also ended with a home run on the day.
