PEMBROKE, N.C. – Neither home field advantage or life on the road had remedied the hitting woes of the Georgia Southwestern Hurricanes. With a team batting average of .187, the Blue & Gold hoped their game would rise as they opened an early PBC series at the University of North Carolina Pembroke (10-1, 2-0 PBC). Nine hits, zero runs and two losses later, the Hurricanes are left still looking for answers to their woes as they lost 9-1 and 8-0 on Saturday.
GAME ONE: Georgia Southwestern-1 UNC Pembroke-9
Third baseman Blane Parker opened the game with a lead-off single. The Hurricanes would advance Parker before sending him home on a J.J. Williams error at short for Pembroke. Yet, UNCP would negate the early error with a three-run homerun by Aaron Parnell in the bottom of the first.
The Braves would ride their momentum into the second inning as they would score another run on three hits. This came after UNCP starter Brad Isom retired the Hurricanes in-order to lead off the second inning.
GSW's half of the third inning would be symbolic for the day. After Beau Parker singled to lead off the inning, the next three Hurricane hitters would all fly or ground out without scoring Parker. The Hurricanes would again get the leadoff runner aboard in the fourth before Randall Sheffield lined out into a double play to end another scoreless inning.
Pembroke catcher Max Gagnon and outfield Eitan Maoz would give UNCP their fifth and sixth runs of the game in the middle innings. UNCP would get three more insurance runs late to take game one of the double header 9-1.
While UNC Pembroke would accumulate a staggering 17 hits in game one, the Hurricanes were limited to just five team hits with Blane Parker having two of the five hits as he also scored GSW's only run. UNC Pembroke start Brad Isom would throw the complete game as he scattered five hits, one unearned run and struck out six Hurricanes.
GAME TWO: Georgia Southwestern-0 UNC Pembroke-8
It was déjà vu for the Hurricanes in game two as the Braves' Aaron Parnell would again draw first blood in the first inning. The Pembroke second baseman would drive in Eitan Maoz with two outs.
GSW was given chances in the first two innings from the UNC Pembroke defense. One runner in the first and second inning would reach base via a Brave throwing error but neither would make their way home.
After the catcher Maoz again reached base (hit by pitch), he would again be driven home. This time it would be rightfielder Brad Bridgeman who would drive the ball over the fence in left center for the two-run home run to make it 3-0 after three innings.
The Hurricanes threatened in their half of the fifth inning. After Logan Holland opened the inning up with a walk, GSW would have runners on second and third with one out after Beau Parker moved runners over on a sacrifice bunt. The Blue & Gold would walk away from the inning with no runs even after Jarrod Taylor walked to load the bases with two outs.
Brad Bridgeman would again homer off GSW Matt Weaver in the sixth inning to push the UNCP lead to four runs at 4-0. Pembroke would get two more runs in the seventh and eighth before claiming the 8-0 win.
The two losses set the Georgia Southwestern record back to 1-8 (0-2 PBC). The bookend of the series will be played Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. on the campus of the University of North Carolina Pembroke.