CLEVELAND, Tenn. - The Lee University baseball team posted its 10th straight win and moved within one game of the GSC regular-season lead with an 8-6 victory over the University of West Alabama at Larry Carpenter Stadium on Friday evening. The Flames improved to 19-9 in conference play and 30-13 overall while the Tigers dropped to 20-8, 31-10.
It will be Military Appreciation Day on Saturday. Lee will honor area veterans beginning at 12:15 p.m. The doubleheader against West Alabama is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch.
Friday evening began when Luke Collier and JJ Williams were honored on Senior Day. Both have been important contributors to the success of the Lee baseball program.
Collier added to his record-setting triples' mark with his seventh three-bagger in the sixth inning. He also had a pair of singles, an RBI and scored a run in Lee's 14-hit attack. Nate Caraballo enjoyed his best night of the season. He blasted his seventh homer of the year, doubled, singled and crossed home plate twice.
Casen Youngblood gave the Flames an early 3-0 lead with his 10th home run of the season. His round-tripper plated Landon Franklin and Williams. Franklin continued his hot-hitting with a two-base knock, a one-base hit and one tally.
Aiden McClary also finished with two hits, an RBI and a run scored while Williams connected on his 13th double and was credited with an RBI when he walked with the bases loaded. Isaiah French accounted for Lee's fourth two-base hit of the contest and he knocked in a run. Ryan Valdes singled and tallied one of Lee's three big runs in the sixth inning.
Evan Bloomer recorded the win and improved to 7-0 on the year. He pitched seven innings, allowing seven hits, two earned runs, walked two and fanned three. Mason Bratcher worked 1.2 innings. He surrendered only one hit but gave up four unearned runs. He walked three and struck out three. Lefty Zach Tierney was called on in the ninth inning to get the Flames out of a jam and earned his first save of the year. The bases were loaded when
Tierney got the final out of the contest on a fly out.
The Tigers were led by Hudson Walburn with a home run and a double. He knocked in two runs while Rashad Robinson had two hits and scored a run. Aaron Wallace stroked a single and batted in a run in the loss. Baker Green was the starting and losing West Alabama pitcher. He worked 4.1 innings and gave up eight hits and five earned runs. Three other hurlers followed Green to the mound.
Coach Mark Brew's thoughts:
"Even though we didn't finish the game the way we would like, I'm proud of how we played tonight and finding a way to get the win in the end. Zach Tierney continues to give us a great addition out of the bullpen and Evan Bloomer had another great start. Offensively, we were able to get runs and a couple of big innings against a really good pitching staff. We've got to refocus and come back out tomorrow and get ready to fight and claw against a really good West Alabama team. It's Military Appreciation Day and we are excited to honor those men and women in our community that served."
