The William Peace University baseball team competed in their first scrimmage on Feb. 8 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary. They lost to Brevard University with a final score of 5-12.
Top hitting performers of the game were Nathan Holt, junior, finishing with 3-5 at the plate with a double, Will Dalton and Nick Montrose, seniors, who both finished the day with 2-2 at the plate. In total, the Pacers finished the first game with 12 hits to the Tornado’s 16.
Derek Jackson, senior, started on the mound, and then Isaiah Ortega, sophomore, took over in the sixth inning, facing only seven batters to give up one hit and no runs. Overall, the Pacers struggled on the field, finishing with a total of four errors.
Following Friday’s game, the WPU Baseball team competed against Brevard for the second time on Sunday ending with a 2-2 record in the series, winning the game with a final score of 4-2.
The top hitting performers of the game were Alec Seaton sophomore finishing 4-6 at the plate, leading the team with a walk-off home run to win the game.
Ty Galloway, freshman, finished the day going 2-5 at the plate. Easton Payton, senior, finished with a huge double to left field during the final inning.
“We can use that win as momentum in the future,” says Payton.
Brendan Shea, freshman, lead on the mound with a tallied total of five strikeouts. Sam Peddycord, freshman, finished with three strikeouts in four innings pitched.
Noah Carter, junior, felt good regarding the game yet he believes that there is still room for a lot of improvement.
“I think Sunday was a complete team effort,” says Carter. “We had a great start by Shea and Padgett and Sam did an excellent job of keeping us close late in the game. And then, of course, Alec stepped up in a big time way with the huge walk-off home run. Overall it was a great team effort and I’m excited for the rest of the season.”
The Pacers continue their season with a loss against Guilford College and a split series against Hampden-Sydney College. Their next game is on Feb. 22 against Elmira College in Cary.
All information is provided by WPU Athletics and more can be found at www.gopeacepacers.com.