SMC Drops One-Run Games

Spartanburg, SC – The Pioneers dropped a pair of one-run games on Saturday, losing 8-7 and 3-2 to visiting Guilford Tech. The Pioneers fell to 32-13, 12-8 in Region X.

Defensive miscues contributed in a big way to the series opening loss, as five Pioneer errors led to four unearned runs. 

The Titans plated a pair of second-inning runs off of game one starter Ben Carlson (Mauldin HS) on a home run and an RBI single. The visitors threatened to do more damage, loading the bases with one out, but Carlson got a big double play to end the threat.

The Pioneers answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame. Ben Boykin (Nations Ford HS) led off with a base hit to right and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Cody Martin (Stephens Co., GA HS). A wild pitch advanced Boykin to third, and Parker Hudson's (Mauldin HS) groundball to shortstop scored him to cut the lead to 2-1.

Guilford quickly gained the momentum back, using two Pioneer errors and a hit batsman, all in the first three batters, to tack on two more runs, expanding their lead to 4-1.

SMC went down in order in their half of the third, and the Titans went to work again in the fourth. After forcing two quick groundouts, Carlson surrendered three consecutive base hits to make it a 5-1 game. With a pair of runners aboard and two outs, it appeared the righthander would limit the damage to one run when the next batter hit what looked to be an inning-ending flyout. But the ball was dropped for another error, allowing two more runs to cross home plate before a flyout ended the inning with the Pioneers trailing, 7-1.

SMC cut the lead to 7-3 in the bottom of the fourth. Luke Tollison (Laurens Academy) hit a ground ball to the third baseman's backhand side that got by him and down the line for an error. After Boykin lined out to deep right, Martin stroked a double to right, putting runners at second and third with one out. Hudson's groundout to second moved both runners up a base, plating Tollison. Martin scored during the next at-bat when a curveball in the dirt kicked away from the catcher.

Carlson held the visitors scoreless in the fifth, and SMC scratched another run across in the bottom of the frame on Tollison's solo homer to make it 7-4.

But the Titans got that run back in the sixth, as a leadoff hit, sacrifice bunt, and stolen base put a runner at third with one out. A wild pitch made it an 8-4 game.

The Pioneers made another push in the bottom of the seventh. Champ Rowland (Wade Hampton HS) homered to left to lead it off, and Travis Burnside (Laurens HS) followed that up with a sharp single to center. A passed ball followed by a balk put Burnside at third with one out. Tyler Jackson's (Robert E. Lee Academy) drive to deep left-center looked to be for extra-bases off the bat, but it was caught near the fence for a sacrifice fly. Tollison hit a high drive to left that carried out for his second solo home run of the game to pull SMC to within a run. But the rally ended there, as a groundout ended the game in an 8-7 defeat.   

Carlson (7-2) got the loss, surrendering 11 hits and four earned runs in 6.2 innings. He hit one batter and struck out one.  

Tollison (2-4, 2 HR) led the offense. 

In game two, the Pioneers couldn't come up with the big hit, stranding eight runners on base in a 3-2 loss.

Guilford Tech scored first again, hitting a solo home run in the second inning off game two starter Jake Long (T.L. Hanna HS). The visitors connected for another long ball to lead off the fourth.  

SMC finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Dacen Cash (Stephens Co., GA HS) drew a one-out walk, and Burnside's single to left put two men aboard with two outs. A pitch in the dirt advanced Cash to third, and Reggie Weatherford singled up the middle to make it 2-1. Jackson walked to load the bases, but a strikeout ended the Pioneer threat.

Long retired the side in order in the top of the sixth, and the Pioneers scratched out another run in the bottom half. Martin doubled to deep center with one out, and Cash came up with a clutch, two-out RBI single up the middle to tie the game, 2-2, before a groundout ended the inning.   

But the Titans plated the go-ahead run in the seventh. Long walked the leadoff batter, and after getting an out on a sacrifice bunt, left the game in favor of reliever Jared Keels (Spring Valley HS). Keels got a big strikeout, but then coughed up the lead, surrendering a two-out base hit up the middle to make it 3-2.

The Pioneers got the tying run aboard in the bottom half when Weatherford reached with one out via a third strike wild pitch, but a lineout to center and a groundout ended the game. 

Long (4-2) was charged with the loss. He went 6.1 innings, surrendering three earned runs on five hits and a pair of walks, while striking out five.

Weatherford (2-3) was the only Pioneer with a multi-hit game.

The Pioneers will conclude the Guilford Tech series on Sunday in Spartanburg with a double-header starting 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.