Pioneers Swept On The Road

Martinsville, VA - Not much went right for SMC on Sunday, as the Pioneers dropped a pair of games at Patrick Henry CC, 7-0 and 8-6.

In game one, Patrick Henry chased SMC starter Ryan Gunther (Stratford HS) after just two innings and the Pioneer bats never woke up, as Patrick Henry's Tony Floyd held the Pioneers to just two hits and one walk in seven innings.

Patrick Henry strung together six hits, all singles, and took advantage of one walk and one Pioneer error to score one run in each of the first two innings. PHCC added another run in the third and four more in the fifth off of the SMC bullpen, and the Pioneers never threatened offensively, leaving the final margin at 7-0. Reggie Weatherford (Lake City HS) and Tyler Jackson (Robert E. Lee Academy) tallied the only hits for SMC.

In game two, the Pioneer bats got hot in the first inning when Weatherford singled through the middle with one out, Jackson followed it up with another base hit, and Luke Tollison (Laurens Academy) hammered a long three-run homer to left. Ben Boykin (Fort Mill HS) then singled sharply to left-center for the fourth consecutive Pioneer base hit, but a double play ball ended the threat in the first.

SMC put two more runs on the board in the top of the second, as Michael Keels (Manning HS) lined a one-out double down the left field line then stole third. Keels scored on Travis Burnside's (Laurens HS) two out triple to center and Burnside never slowed down, scoring himself when the throw came late into third base rather than home.

The Pioneers looked to be in good shape with a 5-0 lead, as Tyler Wilson (Gaffney HS) settled in early, holding PHCC scoreless through three and striking out five. But Wilson got into trouble in the fourth when the Patriots sandwiched a pair of singles around a walk, loading the bases with no outs. Two more walks by Wilson got Patrick Henry on the board and SMC went to the bullpen. But PHCC kept momentum on their side as reliever Ian McKinney (Dorman HS) walked the first batter he faced, forcing in a third Patriot run. McKinney then coaxed a softly hit ground ball to second but it was kicked for an error, scoring yet another run. A two-run single to right field gave Patrick Henry the lead and chased McKinney from the game. The Pioneers went to Corey Rhoney (East Burke, NC HS) looking for damage control, but the first batter he faced singled through the middle, scoring two more runs. A double play ball and a strikeout got Rhoney and the Pioneers out of the inning, but the damage was done as Patrick Henry had taken an 8-5 lead.

The Pioneers mounted a threat in the fifth inning, when Burnside led off with a walk and Weatherford grounded a base hit through the right side, forcing Patrick Henry to go to their bullpen for the second time in the game. But Jackson's sharply hit line drive to shortstop doubled off Burnside, and Tollison struck out looking to end the inning. In the sixth, SMC threatened again as Boykin singled to left and Seth Neely's (Rock Hill HS) double put runners on second and third with no outs. But they could manage only a single run on a sacrifice fly by Keels, drawing them to within 8-6 but not closing the gap enough, as the Pioneers went in order in the seventh to end the game.   

Boykin had three hits for the Pioneers in a losing effort, including a double, and Weatherford and Jackson each went 2 for 3. SMC looks to get back on track on Tuesday as they host Walters State in a pair of games at 1 pm.

Spartanburg Methodist College has 14 intercollegiate teams that compete in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association, which includes colleges in the Carolinas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The College is in its 100th academic year of providing a quality education to students in a Christian environment. More than 90 percent of SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of higher learning.
 
For more information please contact athletic director Mark Perdue at (864) 587-4237.