CLEVELAND, Tenn. - The Lee University baseball team opened the 2026 season with a doubleheader sweep of Emmanuel University on Friday afternoon on Olympic Field at the Larry Carpenter Stadium. The Flames came from behind to win the first game 4-3 and overpowered the Lions in the nightcap 12-1 in a seven-inning run-rule contest. Lee and Emmanuel are slated to play a single game on Sunday (1 p.m.).
Game 1 – Lee 4, Emmanuel 3
The Flames did not have a hit until the eighth inning of the opening game and trailed 3-0 heading into the bottom of the eighth. Aiden McClary collected Lee's first hit and later scored on an error. Casen Youngblood was hit by a pitch and Keilin Sanders came on to pinch run. Braden Gabel followed with a pinch hit single. Sanders and Gabel scored on a one-base hit by Landon Franklin to tie the game at three.
Lee came back to win in the bottom of the ninth. Isaiah French was hit by a pitch and McClary followed with his second hit of the game. Ryan Valdez loaded the bases with his single. Nate Caraballo, who had earlier came on to play first base, became an instant hero when he was hit by a pitch and pushed French across the plate with the winning run.
McClary was the only Flame with two hits while Franklin collected a double and drove in two runs. Valdez and Gabel had Lee's other hits while French, McClary, Sanders and Gabel scored the Flames runs.
Lee used three pitchers. Evan Bloomer started and worked five solid innings, allowing two hits and no earned runs. He had three strikeouts and no walks. Bryce Hawkins followed with 2.2 frames. He gave up five hits, three earned runs, walked three and fanned three. Tyler Pickens came on for 1.1 innings and was credited with the victory. He did not allow a hit, a run, walked one and did not record a strikeout.
Emmanuel had seven hits. Reese Kingeter had a pair of knocks and an RBI. Five other Lions had one hit apiece while Nick Madrigal and Haidyn McGill also collected RBI. Three Emmanuel pitchers were called on. Hunter Pirkle had four innings of no-hit ball. Ethan Pooler came on for 3.2 innings and allowed three hits and two earned runs while Luke Hopper was charged with the loss. In two-thirds of an inning, he allowed two hits and the winning earned run.
Game 2 – Lee 12, Emmanuel 1
The Flames jumped on top 2-1 in the third inning and then blew the contest wide open when they sent nine batters to the plate in the sixth inning and run-ruled the action in the seventh with five more runs in sweeping the twinbill.
Lee had 11 hits with JJ Williams, Isaiah French, Nate Caraballo and Braden Gabel leading the way with two hits apiece. French drove in two runs with a two-run homer in the sixth inning. He also added a single and scored another run in the seventh. Caraballo ended the contest with his walk-off three-run homer in the seventh inning. He collected three RBI with the blast and also drove in another run with a single and scored a run in the sixth inning.
Williams got his bat going with a double and a single. He scored a pair of runs. Gabel had a pair of one-base hits and scored two runs. Luke Collier was credited with only one hit but got three RBI and walked twice. Aiden McClary also scored twice in
the romp. Keilin Sanders joined in the action with a two-base hit that drove in a pair of runs.
The Flames used three pitchers. Gage Shaver worked four innings and allowed just one hit and one earned run. He struck out five and walked two. Mason Bratcher was called on for the next two frames. He did not allow a hit or a run and walked one. Alex Brew came on for the final inning and gave up one hit. Bratcher got credit for the victory.
Alex Espinoda was the only Lion to get a hit in the contest. Jaden Madrid walked twice and Reese Kingeter got Emmanuel's only RBI with a fielder's choice that drove home Madrid in the first inning. The Lions used seven pitchers in the loss with Blake Altschuler was credited with the loss.
Coach Mark Brew's thoughts:
Game 1 - "We didn't have anything going offensively until we caught a break in the 8th inning. That brought us to life and we used that momentum to find a way to claw back in it and walk it off on the Caraballo's hit by a pitch. My hats off to Bloomer, Hawkins and Pickens. They gave us the chance to come back with the effort they posted on the mound."
Game 2 - "We got quality pitching once again with Shaver, Bratcher and Brew until we were able to get the big swings in the 6th and 7th innings. Braden Gabel gave us a nice spark and Isaiah French and Nate Caraballo had the big swings to help us get the lead and extend it."
Overall - "We will see how this weather looks as we hope to get on the field and close out this series on Sunday afternoon. We are hopeful to get it in so we can get Van Meeteren on the mound and some other guys along with continuing to build depth with our line-up."
