CARROLLTON, Ga - The Lee baseball team jumped out to a 9-0 lead over the University of West Georgia at Cole Field on Saturday afternoon and then turned back a rally by the Wolves in posting a 10-8 victory to open a GSC three-game series. The win improved Lee's record to 11-5 overall and 5-2 in GSC play.
Dylan Standifer led Lee's 10-hit attack with a pair of homers. All totaled, the Flames had six extra-base hits in the victory. The only negative was 14 strikeouts against three West Georgia pitchers. Jack Nedrow pitched six innings and improved his record to 5-0 on the year. The three-game series against West Georgia will continue on Sunday with a doubleheader slated to get underway at noon.
Standifer led off the game with a homer in the top of the first inning. Cam Suto was hit by a pitch, Brandon Daniels singled, Josiah Miller picked up an RBI with a one-base hit and Brantley Cutler drove in the final two runs of the big inning with a hit.
Standifer went deep again in the second inning, but the Flames did major damage in the fourth. Cutler reached on an error to begin the inning. He took second on a passed ball and went to third on a wild pitch. JJ Williams doubled to right and Suto ripped a triple that scored Williams. Brandon Daniels decided it was his turn to go long ball as he blasted his drive over the right-field wall that plated Suto and gave the Flames a 9-0 lead.
The Wolves would not go away without a fight and came out howling in the bottom of the fourth inning, plating four runs and cutting the margin to 9-4. Single runs in the fifth and sixth innings made it a 9-6 game.
Nedrow's afternoon ended after six frames. He allowed seven hits, six earned runs, struck out seven and walked five. Four of the runs came when he experienced some control problems in the bottom of the fourth.
The Flames added an insurance run in to top of the ninth to make it a 10-6 game. Matthew Batts led off the inning with a double. He slid around a tag by the West Georgia catcher to score after Luke Collier collected an RBI single.
West Georgia gave the Flames a scare in the bottom of the ninth by loading the bases. Cole Matthaidess came on in relief of Nedrow in the seventh inning and pitched 2.2 frames before running into trouble in the ninth. Ty Cobb came on to retire the final West Georgia hitter and picked up his first save of the year. Matthaidess allowed only one hit, one earned run, fanned two and struck out two.
Seth Dudley was the starting and losing West Georgia pitcher. He ran into trouble early and lasted just 1.1 innings, allowing eight hits and five earned runs. Hunter Gulledge came on to retire a couple of hitters but it was Jonathan Hickman who pitched 4.1 solid innings for the Wolves. He allowed just two hits and an earned run while striking out six.
Coach Mark Brew's thoughts:
"It was a big win for our team to start the series. West Georgia has one of the best offensive teams in the conference and we had to get some gutsy performances by Nedrow, Matthaidess and Cobb. They battled all day.
"Offensively, Standifer really got us going with the two early homeruns and we were able to get a couple of huge innings. Collier had a big swing late to get us the four-run lead heading into the 9th.
"It'll be another battle tomorrow and we need to get quality starts from our pitching."
