UWG Wolves | Athletic Programs | Official Athletics Site

ROME, Ga. - The UWG baseball team took Game One in this weekend's three-game series after a 12-5 win over the Shorter Hawks on Friday.
 
For the 15th time this year, West Georgia (27-11, 14-8 GSC) scored double-digit runs to propel themselves over Shorter (20-17, 12-12 GSC) to snap their three-game conference skid.
 
The Wolves were held scoreless in the top half of the first, and Shorter wasted no time striking in game one, going for two in the bottom half of the first. The big swing came from Barnes with a one out double to score the game's first run, and the Hawks led 2-0 after one.
 
Neither side did anything in the second, and the Wolves cracked the scoreboard for the first time in the third. Joseph Glozier started the inning advancing to second on an error, and two batters later, Sam Ladner unloaded on the baseball over the left center fence and tied the game at two going to the bottom half. Peyton Berry threw his second straight scoreless frame, and after three it was a brand new ball game once again at Robert T. Ledbetter Baseball Complex. 
 
The game stayed tied until the fifth when the Wolves exploded offensively. Three straight free passes loaded the bases for Jared Emory who doubled down the left field line to score a pair. One batter later, Cooper Prince did the exact same thing to bring home two more. Berry returned to the mound in the bottom half of the fifth, now with a four run cushion, stranded a pair of runners in scoring position to end the fifth. 
 
In the seventh, UWG started the inning with back to back doubles from Logan Fink and Emory to score another. A single from Prince put runners at the corners, and Webb brought home Emory with a sad fly. Following that, Joseph Glozier started a streak of three straight hits for UWG, two of which brought home runs, and the Wolves led 11-2 going into the bottom of the seventh. 
 
After Berry loaded the bases, Carson Crossley came on looking to get us out of the jam. Two pitches in and McWillie singled through the left side for two RBI's. One more RBI single in the inning got the Hawks another run, but Crossley ended the damage with a big strikeout and we went to the eighth with an 11-5 lead. 
 
The Wolves got an extra run in the eighth when Fink came around to score on a wild pitch, and in the bottom half, Ryan Whitener entered and pitched the first 1-2-3 inning of the game to send us to the ninth with a 12-5 lead.
 
UWG could not add on in the ninth, but Whitener allowed no runs once again in the bottom of the ninth to secure the game one victory for the Wolves. 
 
Eight of the nine hitters in the lineup recorded at least one hit on the afternoon, with Ladner, Calabro, Emory, and Prince recording two hits a piece. Ladner also finished with a team leading four RBI's with Emory right behind with three. 
 
Berry and Whitener combined for 8.1 innings on the day allowing seven hits, five runs, six walks, and nine strikeouts. 
 
These two teams will finish the series tomorrow with a double header beginning at 12:00 pm.