Starting Pitching Solid Against Montevallo

Starting Pitching Solid Against Montevallo

AMERICUS - The Georgia Southwestern baseball team dropped two of three games in its Peach Belt Conference series against the University of Montevallo over the weekend at Hurricane Stadium.

GSW surrendered five runs over the final two innings of the opener in a 7-1 loss on Friday evening. Jordan McIlwain turned in a stellar performance on the mound Saturday afternoon in Game 2 to lead the Hurricanes to a 4-2 victory. Heartbreak came in the finale as GSW let a 3-2 lead slip away in the ninth inning and the Hurricanes suffered a 7-4 loss.

Southwestern closed the weekend with an overall record of 14-10 and a 2-10 mark in the PBC, while Montevallo improved to 14-11 overall, 7-5 in conference play.

GSW returns to action on Tuesday with a 5 p.m. non-conference game against Tuskegee University.

GAME 1: GSW 1, MONTEVALLO 7

Montevallo took the lead in the second inning with a two-out run off a GSW throwing error. 

Dane Hutcheon drove in what would prove to be the game-winning run in the fifth inning for Montevallo with a two-out triple that scored J.D. Minor.

The Hurricanes pushed across their lone run in the series opener in the sixth when Alex Kranick plated Josh Logan with an infield single to short. 

Southwestern starting pitcher Earl Dupree (2-3) exited with one out in the seventh inning. Dupree held the Falcons to three hits, was charged with two runs, walked six and struck out three. Matt Hubbard pitched 1 2/3 innings and surrendered three runs. Chad Adkins covered the ninth.

Nick Fonseca went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles to lead GSW batters. Zach Barron added two doubles.

Thomas Bradey was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs for Montevallo.

Falcons starter Aron McRee (4-1) went the distance and struck out 10 while walking only one batter.

GAME 2: GSW 4, MONTEVALLO 2

The Hurricanes rallied from a run down in the seventh inning to force a rubber game in the series. 

Will Redding delivered a two-out single in the fourth to bring home Jared Jones and put GSW ahead, 1-0.

Montevallo took a 2-1 lead in the seventh inning after a Chad Wagner RBI single.

Josh Logan came through with a sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the seventh after Jones opened the frame with a double and advanced to third on a sac bunt.

Davey King drove home the game-winning run in the eighth inning when he plated Evan Alderman with a RBI single down the left field line.

Southwestern starting pitcher Jordan McIlwain (3-2) threw 113 pitches as went into the ninth inning. He scattered five hits, walked two and struck out three.

Mitch Holloway entered with two on and no outs in the ninth. Montevallo executed a sacrfice bunt before Holloway delivered a pair of strikeouts to earn his second save of the spring.

Jones was 2-for-2 with two doubles and a walk to lead the Hurricanes.

Jeremy Hyde collected two hits for Montevallo.

UM starter Jamison Roney (3-1) pitched seven innings, allowed three runs, scattered five hits, walked three and struck out four. Kale Latorre closed out the afternoon for the Falcons.

GAME 3: GSW 4, MONTEVALLO 7

A five-run rally in the ninth inning helped Montevallo snag victory away from the Hurricanes in the series finale

Alex Kranick ripped a solo home run down the left field line in the first inning to give GSW an early 1-0 lead.

Montevallo pushed across a run in the fourth and another in the fifth inning to take a short-lived, one-run lead as GSW quickly answered with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the fifth off RBI singles from Evan Alderman and Zach Barron.

GSW carried its 3-2 lead to the ninth inning and thought for a moment that the game might be over when Dane Hutcheon hit a one-out chopper over second base with a runner on first that Zach Barron fielded, touched second and fired to first for a potential game-ending double play that was ruled a split second late at first.

With new life, the Falcons proceeded to rip back-to-back doubles en route to a five-run frame.

Southwestern starting pitcher Layne Gusler threw seven innings, allowed two runs - one earned - and seven hits, walked three and struck out five. Kyle Spinks (0-1), half a step away from getting the save, suffered the loss.

Alderman had three hits and a RBI to lead the Hurricanes. Josh Logan added two hits.

Hutcheon and Dominic DeVille collected three hits apiece to lead Montevallo at the plate. DeVille drove in three. Jeremy Hyde went 2-for-3 with two walks.

Montevallo used five pitchers in the finale. Starter Cody Hughes tossed six innings and did not factor into the decision. Alex Pondick threw an inning of relief before Chris Piteo (1-0) was the beneficiary of the Falcons comeback. Kale Latorre tallied an out in the ninth and Colton Nussel forced the final two outs.