Coker Splits Twinbill with No. 5 Seton Hill; Schmotzer Earns Win 700
The Coker baseball team split its non-conference doubleheader with No. 5 Seton Hill on Saturday (Feb. 21). The Cobras lost game one 11-5, but won game two 8-7 in extra innings.
HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker Cobras split their non-conference doubleheader with the nationally ranked No. 5 Seton Hill Griffins on Saturday (Feb. 21). The Cobras lost game one 11-5, but bounced back with an 8-7 extra innings victory in game two.
Forrest Arnold (1-3) took the loss on the hill in game one. He allowed seven runs on eight hits with two strikeouts in six and a two-thirds innings.
At the plate, Dustin Russell went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while Shawn Guererro also drove in a pair of runs and Sammy Song had two hits.
Game two was a back and forth battle. Seton Hill jumped out to the early 3-0 lead with a run in the first and two more in the second. The Cobras evened the score with three runs in the third, thanks to RBIs from Bryson Conner, Song and Taylor Fennewald. The Griffins answered with four more runs in the top of the fourth to take a 7-3 lead, but Coker was not done yet. The Cobras scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth off another RBI single by Song and a two-run double from Evan Rybicki, making it a 7-6 ball game.
Then with two outs in the bottom of the seventh and final inning, Russell ripped a triple into right field that scored Song and tied the game at seven. In the extra frame, the Cobras were once again down to their final out. Michael Orlowski doubled to left center to put the game-winning run in scoring position and then Will Winslow drove him home with an RBI single to left to win the game, 8-7.
Ryan Milner (2-0) was magnificent out of the bullpen for the Cobras. He threw four shut out innings, allowing just one hit and struck out four.
Song finished game with two hits and two RBIs, while Rybicki had a double and drove in two runs. Russell, Fennewald, Winslow and Conner each drove in a run as well for the Cobras.
The win was also a milestone victory for Coker head coach Dave Schmotzer. The win gave Schmotzer 700 career victories. He is now 700-511-2 all-time. Of those 700 victories, 613 have come at Coker College.
Coker and Seton Hill will wrap-up their three-game series with a single game on Sunday (Feb. 22). First pitch is scheduled for noon a Coker's Tom J. New Field.
McDonald's Players of the Game – Will Winslow and Ryan Milner