The Presbyterian College baseball team dropped the first game to the VCU Rams, 3-4, but came back to take the 4-3 win in the second game of a doubleheader this afternoon at the PC Baseball Complex in Clinton, S.C.
VCU goes to 4-5 on the year, while the Blue Hose snap a six-game losing streak and improve to 5-6. The third game of the series, originally scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, Mar. 5, has been moved up to noon due to impending inclement weather.
PC struck first in game one, with a run in the first and second innings. After Gabe Grammer (Irmo, S.C.) doubled to center field, he came home off a Brad Zebedis (Rock Hill, S.C.) single for the first run. Tony Micklon (Sumter, S.C.) scored in the second, coming home off a Nate Horton (Spartanburg, S.C.) single.
The game was quiet until the sixth when VCU plated two runs after Paul Nice scored off a single from Taylor Perkins, who led the Rams today going four-for-seven with three RBI. Perkins would score himself off a passed ball to knot the game at two five and a half.
Both teams scored runs in the eighth, with the score 3-3 heading into the top of the ninth. Nick Kime led off the top of the ninth with a single and after advancing to third off a stolen base and a PC error, scored off a sacrifice fly by Nice to make the score 4-3.
The second game started as the first did, with the Blue striking early. PC scored first when Andrew Williams (Duluth, Ga.), who walked to lead off the first inning, came home when Zebedis grounded to second for the RBI. The Blue Hose went up 2-0 in the fourth after Micklon, who led off the fourth with a single, crossed home after John Wagner (Olney, Md.) grounded into a double play.
The Rams answered in the top of the fifth when Perkins laced a double down the left field line, bringing in two.
The Blue Hose responded in the bottom with two runs to take the 4-2 lead. Mack Hite (Abbeville, S.C.) led off with a hit by pitch and advanced to second after Grammer walked. The next two batters went down in order but Micklon stepped to the plate and hit a double down the left field line, bringing in Hite and Grammer for the two added runs.
VCU threatened in the ninth after John Lenherr took first on a PC error and came home off a Kyle Sutherland double. Nick Ferguson (Lancaster, S.C.) came in to pitch for the Blue Hose and the next batter grounded out to third to end the game.
Zebedis and Micklon led the Blue Hose, both posting three hits and two RBI. Rodney Scruggs (Harlem, Ga.) went 1.2 innings in the first game and took the loss, while Bud Jeter (Columbia, S.C.) threw 8.2 innings in the second with five strikeouts to earn the win. Nick Ferguson came in relief and picked up his first save of the year.
