CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Cooper Casteel gave Lee University seven innings of solid pitching and Levi Cloud smashed a two-run homer in the second inning as the Flames handed visiting University of Montevallo a 3-1 defeat on Friday afternoon inside Larry Carpenter Stadium. The win improved Lee to 10-9 in GSC play and 18-14 overall while the Falcons dropped to 9-10, 17-15. The three-game series continues on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
Casteel allowed six hits and no runs. He walked one and fanned three. The victory improved the lefty's record to 5-2. Ty Cobb came on for the final two innings. He allowed one hit, one run, no walks and recorded a strikeout. The right-hander recorded his second save of the year.
Cloud's homer was the only extra-base hit of the game. It was his third of the year and scored Brock Sisson who had earlier drawn a walk. Montevallo made things interesting in the top of the eighth inning. Daniel Irizarry was hit by a pitch. Ian Cartwright singled to right but was tagged out when he was caught in a rundown after taking a wide turn at first.
Irizarry took advantage of the situation and moved all the way to third. He scored the Falcon's only run of the game on a RBI ground ball to deep short by McGwire Turner.
The Flames came right back with a big run in the bottom of the same inning. JJ Williams singled and reached base for the 24th straight game. He took second on a throwing error by the Falcon pitcher. A ground ball to second by Luke Collier moved Williams to third and he scored a key run on a sacrifice fly by Isaiah French.
Williams, French, Tucker Platt, Josiah Miller and Cloud combined for Lee's five hits. French had a RBI and Cloud drove in two runs. Jacob Pearl and Turner had two hits in the loss. Logan Harbin, Luke Mitchell and Cartwright collected the other Falcon safeties.
Adiel Melendez pitched the entire game for Montevallo. He threw 121 pitches, giving up five hits, two earned runs, two walks and striking out eight. His record slipped to 6-3 on the year.
Coach Mark Brew's thoughts:
"It was a well-pitched and well-defended game for both teams. It's the kind of Friday night game in the GSC you expect when two really good pitchers are going at each other. The difference in the game was the one big swing from Levi's bat to get us up early. Montevallo has a really good team and it'll be a tough day tomorrow, but we are playing with a lot of confidence right now. Hopefully, we get two well pitched games and continue to play great defense and find a way to scratch some timely hits."
