Barons get 2 complete-game wins at Emmanuel

MOUNT VERNON -- Brewton-Parker College rode two complete-game pitching victories and senior Denson Gleaton's three-home run weekend in taking two baseball games out of three against Emmanuel College in a Georgia-Alabama-Carolina Conference series Saturday and Sunday.

After having their Friday game postponed to Sunday because of weather conditions, the Barons opened Saturday's doubleheader with a 10-2 win before Emmanuel earned a split with a 6-5 victory.

After Sunday's rubber match was scoreless through four innings, Brewton-Parker (22-13 overall, 10-9 GACC) erupted with 14 unanswered runs to win 14-2 in seven innings.

In Sunday's series finale, sophomore left-hander Trae Wiggins (2-6) earned his first victory since Feb. 15 with a three-hit performance in a game Brewton-Parker ended two innings early after scoring six runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings.

Wiggins allowed two seventh-inning runs to Emmanuel (one earned) and finished with eight strikeouts and four walks.

Wiggins' offensive support was multi-faceted, with freshman Madison Herrin capping the six-run sixth with a three-run home run, his second of the season, and Gleaton finishing the six-run seventh with his three-run homer, his third round-tripper of the weekend and eighth of the season.

Gleaton was 3-for-4 in the game with five runs batted in and three runs scored and Herrin was 3-for-3 with all three RBI on his homer, capping a 5-for-5 weekend.

Sophomore Johnny King was 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored, while senior Ricky Nelson scored twice in hitting 2-for-2 with one RBI. Junior Jason Halstead was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.

In Saturday's opener, junior right-hander Brent Kennedy (7-0) held Emmanuel to four hits and four runs (two earned) with seven strikeouts and one walk and likewise got plenty of offensive support.

King was 3-for-4 with three RBI, a double and two runs scored. Gleaton hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning and finished 2-for-4 with three RBI, and Nelson was 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored.

"In the two games that we won, we took advantage of opportunities like we like to do," Barons coach Chad Parker said. "With it being late in the season, you like to win as many as you can."

Saturday's second game, however, was Emmanuel's turn to take advantage of offensive opportunities. After Gleaton led off a three-run fourth inning with a solo home run and Halstead hit a two-run double, Brewton-Parker led the Lions 4-3.

Emmanuel (8-26, 4-15) posted a three-run rally off Brewton-Parker sophomore right-hander Andrew Gernatt in the bottom of the fifth to take a 6-4 lead and held on after the Barons scored one run in the seventh.

Gernatt (5-2) gave up six hits and three runs (one earned) in three innings of relief for freshman left-hander Josh Dutto, who allowed the Lions one earned run in each of the first three innings.

"We dropped one game that we shouldn't have, but Emmanuel really outplayed us," Parker said.

The Barons open their final week of the regular season by making up a GACC doubleheader at 3 p.m. Wednesday against Southern Polytechnic State University. The twin bill was postponed from March 15 and then rescheduled from Monday after Southern Tech also had to play on the road Sunday.

A non-conference twin bill scheduled against Thomas University in Thomasville for Wednesday was canceled as a result.

Brewton-Parker finishes its GACC schedule with a series at Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus, beginning with a single game Friday at 3 p.m. and a doubleheader Saturday starting at 1 p.m.

"We are right in the middle of the conference and still control our fate for our seeding in the tournament," Parker said of the GACC postseason tournament, April 23-26 at Albany State University. "We could finish anywhere from third to seventh but more than likely fourth or fifth, which is better than where we were last year."

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