Buena Vista, VA - In the second day of their triple-header with Brevard College, the Southern Virginia University baseball team looked to build off the momentum they gained from their walk-off victory on Friday. Unfortunately for the Knights, they would drop both games on Saturday, their first conference losses of the season.
Game One
Knights starting pitcher Harrison Moore was firing on all cylinders at the top of the first, retiring his first batter in three pitches. The teams combined for just one hit through the first couple of innings before the scoring ramped up. In the bottom of the third, Seth Lloyd and Zach Geertsen found themselves on base before Stockton Hall rifled a double into left field, sending home the first two runs of the day.
Hall eventually found his way home after a wild pitch, putting the Knights up 3-0, nearly equaling their total run output from the day before in just one inning. The Tornados fought their way back to even in the fifth, and scored in the next two innings to take a 6-3 lead. In the bottom of the seventh, Stockton Hall flew out to right field, but managed to drive in his third run of the day to keep the Knights within striking distance.
Down 6-4 in the ninth, Southern Virginia looked to replicate their walk-off finish from the day before. After two singles from Geertsen and Hall, Mitch Smith was walked to load the bases with just one out. Unfortunately for the Knights, a pop out followed by a ground out would clinch the victory for Brevard, 6-4.
Game Two
The Tornados started on time in the second game of the day, quickly putting the Knights in a 6-0 hole during the third inning. They trailed by as much as seven runs, but tightened up defensively and found greater success at the plate in the last few innings.
Mitch Smith cranked one past the fence for his first home run of the season, scoring two runs for the Knights. One inning later, Stockton Hall continued his impressive weekend with a double, allowing Ryan Farris to score and cut the lead to six. In the bottom of the eighth, with two outs and the bases loaded, Seth Lloyd thought he let a fourth ball sail past him, but it was ruled a strike to retire the side to leave the Knights down six with just one inning to play.
After stout defense left Brevard scoreless at the top of the ninth, Zach Geertsen got a hold of his first pitch for a solo home run, his second of the season. Despite a strong finish, the deficit was too much to overcome and the Knights fell by a score of 10-5. Next on the schedule, Southern Virginia will be back on the road to face Ferrum on Tuesday, March 18th, at 3:00 PM.
For the most up-to-date information and details on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_bsb on Instagram.
