Newberry Takes Series Opener against Coker
NEWBERRY – Charlie Fessler earned his sixth save in dramatic fashion, stranding two Coker runners in the ninth to help preserve Newberry’s 10-7 victory over the Cobras on Friday night at the Smith Road Complex.
On Saturday, Newberry moved into a tie for first place in the South Atlantic Conference, sweeping visiting Coker (19-17, 9-12 SAC) by scores of 14-4 and 7-0 to move to 13-5 in conference play and 28-14 overall. The Wolves have won eight straight SAC matchups and 11 of their last 12 in conference play.
On Friday, Newberry (26-14, 11-5 SAC) led Coker (19-15, 9-10 SAC) 10-6 heading into the ninth. The Cobras loaded the bases, and the Wolves issued the call to the bullpen to bring in Fessler. After Coker scored on a wild pitch, Fessler retired the next two batters via a strikeout and a flyout to earn his sixth save of the season, good for the second in the South Atlantic Conference.
Zach Kelly recorded his sixth victory of the season after tossing 6.1 innings. The right-hander notched eight strikeouts in the contest, bringing his season total to 79, good for second in the SAC.
After Coker broke open a 4-1 lead through three innings, Newberry began its rally in the third. Ben Herring and Daymon Totherow executed a perfect double steal, plating Totherow. The Wolves took the lead for good in the fourth as Trejon Smith singled through the right side, giving Newberry a 5-4 advantage.
Cody Ezzell helped plate two Newberry insurance runs in the seventh and eighth innings, notching three RBIs. Tyler Fuhr pitched 2.0 solid innings for Newberry out of the bullpen, allowing just one run and four hits.
Ezzell led the Wolves at the plate after collecting three hits, three RBIs and a run scored. Totherow notched two hits and two runs scored. Robert Kosch, Danton Hyman, Derek Olenchuk and Smith all notched an RBI for Newberry.
Seven other Wolves recorded a hit in the contest. Newberry swiped six stolen bases as a team, its second highest total in a game this season.
Overall, the Wolves have won each of their last 11 games, are 16-2 since their losses against Tusculum 28 days ago, and have won five of their six conference series overall. The Wolves and Pioneers are currently tied atop the SAC standings, one game ahead of Catawba and Lincoln Memorial.
Newberry travels to Harrogate, Tenn., to face the Railsplitters while Tusculum hosts Catawba next weekend.
Newberry clinched the series with a 14-4 win in the first game of the day. The Wolves jumped out to an early 6-0 lead in a disastrous first inning for Coker before tacking on four runs apiece in the seventh and eighth innings to pull away.
Evan Estridge picked up his fourth win of the season by allowing three runs on five hits in five frames on the mound. Dylan Southerland struck out four in three innings and gave up a run on two hits before yielding to Quinton Driggers, who pitched a perfect ninth.
Newberry’s six-run first inning set the tone for the series. The Wolves sent 10 men to the plate and took advantage of a pair of Cobras’ errors to score three unearned runs in the frame.
Coker got two runs back on a single, a walk, another single, and a sacrifice fly in the third inning and plated another run in the fourth to cut the deficit to 6-3. The Cobras threatened again in the fifth, placing their first two batters on with a leadoff walk and a single in the fifth. But Estridge expertly pitched out of trouble, inducing an infield fly and a pair of fly ball outs to hold the Cobras at bay before the offense took over in the late innings.
Four Wolves finished the game with multiple hits, including a three-hit day from Derek Olenchuk. Jeff Sneed was 1-for-4 but recorded a game-high four RBI’s.
Game Two played out in a similar fashion, with Newberry exploding for three runs in the first inning and two in the second before tacking on another pair in the sixth. Daymon Totherow’s two-run single and Ben Herring’s booming RBI double in the first inning set the tone for the remainder of the game.
Robert Kosch added an RBI single and Olenchuk a sacrifice fly in the third before Cody Ezzell’s perfect squeeze bunt and another RBI single by Kosch provided the rest of the scoring.
Coker’s bats were stymied by Newberry pitching throughout the contest, recording just five hits and striking out six times. Winning pitcher Tristan Smaltz allowed four hits in five frames, then gave way to Hunter Hill and Barrett Walton for an inning apiece.
Newberry returns to the Smith Road Complex, where the Wolves are 18-4 on the season, for a nonconference clash with USC Aiken on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.