JACKSON, Tennessee – In a Sunday afternoon baseball contest that lasted almost four hours and featured 31 hits, 10 extra-base knocks and seven home runs, Lee pounded out 19 hits of its own and used five pitchers in the 17-12 victory over host Union University at Fesmire Field.
The win gave the Flames the 2-1 Gulf South Conference decision. Lee (7-4) will get a day off before returning to action on Tuesday, scheduled to host Lincoln Memorial University in a single non-conference game slated for a 3 p.m. start. The Flames return to GSC play next Friday and Saturday hosting Valdosta State in a three-game series.
"Our offense showed up in a big way today and we ended up needing it. (Cameron) Land threw well and (Brycen) Jewell had some huge outs at the end. It was a crazy game, and we aren't going to be disappointed with winning a GSC series on the road regardless of how we finished," remarked head coach Mark Brew.
The Flames appeared to have everything in control, jumping out to a 16-4 lead after 6.1 innings of play, but the host Bulldogs had other ideas and scored seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to make things interesting. Lee added on a run in the top of the eighth to increase the margin to 17-11 before Union got its final tally.
Dylan Standifer and Isaac Quinones paced the Lee 19-hit attack with four knocks apiece. Quinones batted in three runs and scored twice with a homerun and three singles. Standifer also homered, had three one-base hits, batted in five big runs, and scored twice. Justen Freeman and Joshua Perez joined in with three hits each. Perez homered and singled twice. He also collected two RBI. Freeman had a pair of RBI and crossed home plate three times. Jared Demkowicz ripped a four-bagger and added a one-base hit that produced four RBI. Luke Hughes and Brandon Daniels got into the act. Hughes had a hit, RBI, and Daniels singled and scored twice.
Land started and gave the Flames six innings of solid work. He gave up four hits, four earned runs, struck out four and walked two in moving his record to 2-0. Jax Howard, Tim Gooden and Sean Casteel followed Land to the mound before Jewell came on to work the last two innings. He did not give up a hit and struck out three.
Union ripped three homers. Greyson Swanson had a pair and Josh Bozoian had the other. Swanson and Dorian Berry doubled while Patrick Music tripled. Bozoian knocked in four runs, Swanson and Music joined in with three apiece.
The Bulldogs used six pitchers. Luke Williamson was the starting and losing hurler. In two innings he gave up five hits and six earned runs. The defeat dropped Union to 5-5 overall and 1-2 in GSC.
