CLINTON, Miss. --- Despite scoring six runs in the final two innings, the Mississippi College baseball team dropped the final game of the three-game series with Union University, 9-8, on Friday afternoon at Frierson Field.
The Choctaws (7-4, 2-4 GSC) trailed 9-2 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, but the offense got going as junior
Colton Caver singled home sophomore
Hunter Bolin after he led off the inning with a double. Junior
Caleb Upton sent his first home run of the season over the left field fence and cut the score to 9-5 after eight innings.
In the ninth, the Bulldogs (2-9, 2-4 GSC) got the first two outs, but senior
Akiko Thompson singled and Bolin drove him in with a double to cut the lead to 9-6. After three Union errors, Bolin and Caver scored to make the score 9-8 and Upton was at second base with two outs. Freshman
Kyle Smith came in to pinch-run, but senior
Marty Stringfellow struck out to end the game.
Bolin and Caver paced the MC offense with three hits and three runs scored apiece. Upton led the team with three RBI.
The Bulldogs, who belted 16 hits on the day, took a 5-0 lead through three innings, highlighted by a two-run home run by Chaz Wilson, his second of the weekend.
The Choctaws cut the lead to 5-2 in the 6th as Upton and Stringfellow drove in runs.
Union extended the lead to 8-2 with three runs in the 7th inning, aided by two Choctaw errors. They would tack on an insurance run in the 8th inning on a double by Jim Martin, who led the team with three RBI and was one of four players for Union with three hits.
Junior
Kyle Cumlander (1-2) took the loss for MC, allowing five hits and five earned runs with three strikeouts over 3.0 innings. Freshman
Jake Fraze pitched 4.0 strong innings out of the bullpen, while junior
Wesley Wilkinson struck out three and gave up just one earned run over the final 2.0 innings.
Teddy Christie (1-1) earned the win for the Bulldogs, scattering seven hits and five earned runs over 7.0 innings. Preston Thompson got the final six outs to give Union the series win.
The Choctaws will be back in action on Saturday, February 28th when they host Alabama Huntsville for a three-game series, beginning Saturday at 2:00 pm.