CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Emmanuel University rode 12 free passes, a pair of grand-slam homers and one three round-tripper to an impressive 15-4 win over Lee University inside Larry Carpenter Stadium on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The victory gave the Lions a 2-1 edge in the three-game non-conference series.
Brock Wollin enjoyed a career day at the plate for Emmanuel. He blasted grand-slam homers in the second and seventh innings. Tyler Bradford helped the winning cause with a three-run shot in the third inning. All totaled, Wollin and Bradford drove in 11 of the Lions 15 runs.
The Flames quickly fell behind 8-2 after three innings. They were never able to seriously challenge the visitors. The six runs by Emmanuel in the seventh inning put the contest out of reach.
The Lions used four pitchers and gave up a total of six hits to Lee. Freshman Brayden Prooler got the start and was awarded the victory. He worked five innings and allowed four hits and two earned runs. Three other Emmanuel hurlers allowed only two hits over the next four innings and issued one free pass.
It was a different story for the Flames. Coach Mark Brew sent seven different pitchers to the mound. Dylan VanMeeteren got the start and pitched 2.1 innings. He was charged with the loss. Colt McKibben pitched a solid 2.2 innings, allowing three hits and a pair of earned runs. Hunter Lane and David White came on late and threw well.
Hits were hard to come by. Isaiah French was 2-of-2 and Levi Cloud homered in the third inning to drive in three of Lee's four runs. Levi, who joined his brother Malachi on the team this year, became the first Cloud to stroke a homerun. JJ Williams doubled and scored a run for the Flames while Gavin Baxter came off the bench and collected the Flames other hit in the contest. Malachi Cloud scored two runs and had a RBI.
The Flames will face another challenge on Wednesday when they host Lincoln Memorial University in a single nine-inning game. The action is scheduled for a 3 p.m. first pitch.
Coach Mark Brew's thoughts:
"All the credit goes to Emmanuel. They pressured us all day today and came up with big hit after big hit. No one is pushing the panic button and I still believe we have a good team. I just need to do a better job of creating the moments we faced and finding a way to execute in them."
