CLEVELAND, Tenn.-With veteran players Dylan Standifer and Cam Suto leading the way, the Lee University baseball team rallied from an 8-0 deficit in the first inning in a 19-9, eight-inning comeback victory over Christian Brothers University at Larry Carpenter Stadium on a cool and windy Saturday afternoon.
The second game of the GSC doubleheader was no contest as the Flames posted a record-setting 28 runs in the 28-10 win. Lee moved to 10-4 in conference play and 21-8 overall. The Bucs slipped to 5-12, 12-18. The two clubs will battle in a single nine-inning contest again on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.
Game 1 – Lee 19, CBU 9
Standifer blasted homeruns in the third, sixth and eighth innings. He finished with five RBI, walked twice and scored five runs. Suto had a pair of homers, including a three-run shot in the fourth. He added a pair of singles and gave the Flames the walk-off in the eighth inning with his solo homer, making the score 19-9. All totaled, he collected six RBI and scored four runs.
Matthew Batts completed his day with five runs batted in. He homered in the fifth, singled home a run in the third and collected two more RBI with a double in the seventh inning. All totaled, Lee had 17 hits off four Christian Brothers pitchers. Luke Collier added three hits and two runs. Riley Black singled twice and drove in a run, plus scoring two times.
Jack Nedrow started for the Flames but was struck on his throwing arm by a line-drive in the first inning and had to leave the game. Ty Cobb came on for six innings and allowed 10 hits but just three earned runs. Cole Matthaidess (2-0) worked the final two innings. He gave up three hits but no runs.
Dalton Pyzer and Will Gossett were the top hitters for CBU. Pyzer had three hits and drove two runs. Gossett did the same. AJ Gamboa (1-5) was the starting and losing pitcher. In five innings, he gave up 12 hits and nine earned runs.
Game 2 – Lee 28, CBU 10 Â
The Flames wasted no time in exploding for five runs in the first inning of the second game and never looked back. Suto continued his outstanding hitting performance. In the contest, he had a three-run homer in the second inning and a grand-slam homerun in the third. Just for good measure he drove in runs with singles in the first and sixth innings. In the game, the Lee first baseman had nine RBI and for the day collected what had to be a record-shattering 15 RBI.
Brandon Daniels banged out four hits, including three doubles. He knocked in two runs and scored three times. JJ Williams added three hits including a double, two singles and a pair of RBI. Collier, Gavin Baxter, Brock Sisson and Brantley Cutler also posted two RBI apiece. All totaled, Lee had 19 hits with 12 players getting at least one hit and 11 knocking in runs.
Keegan Gagliardo (4-0) was the starting and winning Lee pitcher. He worked five innings, allowing eight hits, two earned runs, striking out four and walking one. Cal Goss came on to face four batters while Eric Boggess pitched 1.2 innings allowing two hits and no earned runs. He fanned four and walked one.
Pyzer, Jalen Smith and Cory Steinhauer had two hits and scored a run for the Bucs. Michael Larson (0-1) was the starting and losing pitcher.
Coach Mark Brew's thoughts:
"It was a crazy day at the ballpark and you could tell it was going to be offensive from the first inning on. Fortunately, we were able to put together some big innings and score with frequency.Â
"Ty Cobb did an excellent job settling us down after giving up the big inning in game one. Matthaidess posted some big outs as well and Standifer, Batts, and Suto had huge offensive games. In game two, we continued swinging the bats well and lots of people contributed up and down the line up.
"We need to come out tomorrow and be ready to go. Nothing that happened today matters anymore and we will have to duplicate the day and improve defensively."
