Cobras Sweeps Lincoln in Early Season Match Up

Hartsville, SC - The Coker University Baseball Team came in hot on Tuesday afternoon with a sweep against Lincoln.

Game One:

To kick off game one, Lincoln earned their first run in the top of the first. Although down by one, the Cobras quickly answered with a run of their own; Ashby Vining drilled a ball to center field and brought Nick Leonard home. Coker continued to battle back and  forth with Lincoln, earning another two runs in the bottom of the second inning (Kody Hanna and Jackson Williams scoring). This now gave the Cobras a 3-2 lead, but Lincoln wasn't ready to roll over just yet. Lincoln fought for their next few runs and kept the score close. It wasn't until the bottom of the fifth inning when Adam Wilkerson landed a perfectly hit ball in right field, scoring Jaylen Mack, that Coker was able to pull away. Donavan Frayer also batted in Adam Wilkerson to bring the lead to 8-5. After a no run inning from Lincoln, Coker rattled off five consecutive runs to close the game out, the final score being 14-6.

Donavan Frayer led the team with two hits and five RBI's, followed up by Adam Wilkerson who also had two hits but four RBI's. Kody Hanna, Jackson Williams, Jaylen Mack, and Adam Wilkerson collectively scored eight runs while six other Cobras crossed the plate to collect the remaining six. Donavan Frayer, Cameron Ferrell, and Adam Wilkerson all combined for a total of six stolen bases. 

Chris Watkins (13), Ryan Ford (13), and Reid Watkins (13) all pitched throughout the game. Chris Watkins threw strikes on the night, while Ryan Ford had 22 and Reid Watkins registered 27. 

Game Two:

A mere thirty minutes later, the Cobras and Lions were back at it again. 

This time, Coker jumped on top quickly and put away six runs in the bottom of the third inning. Cameron Ferrell, Kody Hanna, Ashby Vining, Caleb McCants, Nic Curtis, and Jacob Yarberry all crossed home plate, bringing the Cobras lead to a heavy 7-1 against the Lions. Ashby Vining also earned his first home run of the year and the Cobras first home run of the 2022-23 season. The Lions put an extra two runs on the board, now bringing the score to 4-7. Despite the Lions attempting to keep pace with the Cobras, Coker continued to pull away even further in the bottom of the sixth inning. With a few wild pitches, runners were able to advance and Eli Hopkins was able to score another run. Nic Curtis, Eli Hopkins, and Jacob Yarberry finished out the game as the final runs. and a score of 12-5. 

This time, Kody Hanna and Ashby Vining led with two hits and two RBI's. Kody Hanna, Nic Curtis, Eli Hopkins, and Jacob Yarberry registered a total of nine runs for Coker. Donavan Frayer, Caleb McCants, and Jaylen Mack individually had two stolen bases against the Lions.

Garrett Dunn (7), Aaron Diaz (16), Noah Emig (5), and Evan Pawlowski all pitched throughout the game. Garret Dunn threw 12-17 strikes while Aaron Diaz threw 40-63. Noah Emig went 14-17 and Evan Pawlowski threw 14-29 strikes-pitches. 

The Cobras will be returning to the mound in their series against Limestone. The first pitch will be thrown at 1 PM on Saturday. Live streaming and stats will be available at www.cokercobras.com