CARROLLTON, Ga. – The UWG baseball team collected their fourth win of the young 2023 season on Monday after a 13-7 win over the Carson Newman Eagles.
The bats were hot once again for the Wolves as six of West Georgia's 11 hits were extra base hits, leading to their 13 runs on the night.
For the most part, I was pleased with the offense," said head coach Jeff Smith. "I thought that Henry Daniels and the rest of the middle of the order did a great job. I thought some guys gave up some at bats away that we have to do a better job of but hey, we scored 13 runs so I'm pleased."
Chase Townsend made his second start of the season, going two innings, giving up three earned runs on two hits.
Carson Newman got to Townsend in the first, scoring three runs courtesy of a three-run homer from the Eagles' Mitchell Balint. Townsend settled down, by striking out the next two batters before retiring the side with a ground-out.
Down 3-0, UWG got their first crack with the bats and immediately responded as Anthony Calabro reached via hit by pitch, setting the stage for Henry Daniels who blasted a two-run homer to right center to cut the Wolves' deficit to one. Later in the inning, Cooper Prince walked but West Georgia would leave him stranded as we went to the second.
Townsend found himself in trouble again in the second inning after a walk, hit by pitch, and a single loaded the bases for Carson Newman with one out. The right-hander was able to get a huge pop-up to record the second out, before getting out of the jam completely after a ground-out retired the side.
After the Wolves were retired in order in their half of the second, we fast forward to the third where Carson Crossley relieved Townsend in the top of the inning and got through the third unscathed. In the bottom half of the inning, UWG took the lead after a three-run inning.
Anthony Calabro got it started with a one-out double before a walk from Daniels and an error from the Eagles loaded the bases. Next up, came Logan Fink who hit a line drive down the left field line to drive in Daniels and Calabro, giving West Georgia a 4-3 lead. Later in the inning, the Wolves loaded up the bases again right before Jackson Webb was hit by pitch which drove in Jared Emory to extend their lead to two.
In the top of the fourth, after Crossley allowed two runners on with one out, coach Smith went back to the bullpen, bringing in Jonathan Hickman. Hickman immediately hit the next batter to load up the bases until a sac fly from Balint cut the Wolves' lead to one. Zach Boze came up next and hit a two-run double to give Carson Newman the lead back at 6-5.
Ronny Piepmeier relived Hickman in the fifth which set the floor for UWG's offense. Fink and Sam Ladner walked followed by an RBI-double from Jackson Webb that tied the game at six. The Wolves weren't done in the inning as Tyler Presnell launched a three-run home run to dead center to give West Georgia the lead back at 9-6.
Hodnick got the call out of the pen in the sixth and pitched a scoreless top of the sixth, turning it over to the hot West Georgia bats where the Wolves added two more runs courtesy of a two-run double from Fink.
UWG kept their foot on the gas in the seventh as Henry Daniels secured his third hit of the game which scored Cade Hohl to make it a 12-6 game before Sam Ladner recorded his first RBI of the season to score the 13th run of the game for West Georgia.
Nick Morgan made his first appearance of the season in the ninth to get the final three outs, closing the show for the Wolves.
Daniels led the way for UWG as the first baseman went 3-3, finishing a triple away from the cycle, while Fink recorded two hits and four RBIs
West Georgia will be back in action on Friday when they welcome the West Alabama Tigers to Cole Field.
