Two Conference Carolinas Programs Remain in NCAA Division II Baseball Southeast Regional
North Greenville Regional Webpage | Wingate Regional Webpage
TIGERVILLE, S.C./WINGATE, N.C. - On the first day of the 2022 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional hosted by North Greenville and Wingate, the Crusaders earned a win to advance while Belmont Abbey suffered a loss and will face elimination on Friday afternoon. UNC Pembroke lost a pair of contests in Tigerville, South Carolina to end its season.
In the first game of the day, fifth-seeded and nationally 25th-ranked UNC Pembroke fell to fourth-seeded and nationally 14th-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne (45-11), 12-5, in a game that featured eight home runs. Christian Jayne paced the Braves’ seven-hit attack as he finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI while four different Bears finished with multi-hit games. Darren Brown took the loss for UNC Pembroke as the first of four pitchers used by the Pembroke, North Carolina program while Josh Lanham earned the win as he allowed five runs, four earned, on seven hits over eight innings with four walks and 10 strikeouts.
Gage Hammonds got the scoring started in the top of the first with a two-run home run, but the Bears got a leadoff home run from David Bell to cut into the margin. A one-out solo shot from Blake Hinson made it 3-1 and a Jayne leadoff home run in the fifth pushed the lead to four for UNCP. Wade Cuda hit the first of his two home runs in the fifth before the Braves scored again, this time using a hit, an error and a wild pitch for the 5-2 lead. Lenoir-Rhyne took the lead, 7-5, for good in the sixth with three home runs which included a three-run blast from Drew Yniesta. Five more Bears runs in the seventh accounted for the final margin.
The top-seeded and nationally top-ranked Crusaders of North Greenville (46-8) battled back from an early deficit to defeat UNC Pembroke (38-17), 6-4, in the second game of Southeast Regional No. 1 at Ray & Bea Dillard Field at Ashmore Park. Pat Monteith (4-for-5, 3 runs, 2 RBIs) and Marek Chlup (3-for-4, 4 RBIs, 1 run) combined to go 7-for-9 with six RBIs and four runs scored to lead a 12-hit attack in the win. Thomas Skipper, one of four pitchers used by the home team, earned the win as he tossed three hitless frames while Brent Herlong recorded the save with two scoreless innings and a pair of strikeouts. Spencer Faulkner paced the Braves with two hits and a run in four at-bats while Trent Harris took the loss as one of three pitchers used for the Braves.
UNC Pembroke jumped all over Crusaders starter Jax Cash with four runs on four hits and an error in the first inning which included RBI singles from Hammonds and Bobby Dixon, a run-scoring double by Hinson and a sacrifice fly from Ethan Ott. However, the Crusaders’ pitching didn’t allow another runner past second base as the offense came to life. An Ethan Stringer one-out walk in the bottom of the first cost the Braves as Monteith singled and Chlup reached on an error to plate Stringer to cut into the deficit. In the third, Chlup followed singles from Stringer and Monteith with a three-run bomb to centerfield to tie the game. A pair of solo home runs from Monteith in the fourth and eighth innings proved to be the difference in the victory.
The Crusaders advance to face Lenoir-Rhyne in a best-of-3 series with the winner advancing to the NCAA Division II Super Regionals May 27-28. The teams will play a doubleheader on Friday, May 20 with the first game set for 12 p.m. with the nightcap slated for 4 p.m. Should the teams split the doubleheader, they will meet in the rubber game on Saturday, May 21 at 1 p.m.
Belmont Abbey (34-18), the sixth-seed, fell in their regional opener, 15-8, to third-seeded and nationally ninth-ranked Columbus State (42-11) at Ron Christopher Stadium on the campus of Wingate on Thursday night. Sean Johnson and Ben Gobbel each finished with three hits for the Crusaders with Johnson scoring a run and driving in one while Gobbel drove in three and scored. Ben Ferguson also had two hits and drove in three for The Abbey. Jason White, the first of four Crusaders to pitch in the contest, took the loss. Derek Wylie led the Cougars' offense as he finished 4-for-5 with six RBIs and two runs scored.
The teams combined to score five runs on six hits in the first inning, a sign of the offensive prowess of both teams. Gobbel got the scoring started as he singled home Ferguson and Adam Overcash for the early lead. A three-run home run by the Cougars quickly erased the advantage. A solo home run extended the lead for CSU in the third before Belmont Abbey hung four in the fourth. Brennan Mart and Patrick Taylor got things started with back-to-back one-out walks and the former scored on a Johnson single. Overcash walked to load the bases for Ferguson who promptly cleared them with a three-run double down the right-field line for the 6-4 lead. The Cougars homered again in the fourth to narrow the margin before the flood gates opened as Columbus State plated five runs on five hits in the fifth for the 10-6 lead. Gobbel displayed his power with a home run in the sixth to cut into the lead, but CSU added four more in the bottom half to put the game away. The Cougars scored one more in the eighth and Mart homered in the ninth for the Crusaders for the final margin.
Second-seeded, nationally fifth-ranked and regional host Wingate defeated seventh-seeded Young Harris in the other regional matchup on Thursday, 9-4. Wingate will face Columbus State at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 20 while Belmont Abbey will face Young Harris in an elimination contest at 3 p.m.
2022 NCAA Division II Southeast Region #1 Schedule (Tigerville, S.C.)
Thursday, May 19
Game 1: #4 Lenoir-Rhyne def. #5 UNC Pembroke, 12-5 (Box Score)
Game 2: #1 North Greenville def. #5 UNC Pembroke, 6-4 (Box Score)
Friday, May 20
Game 3: #1 North Greenville vs. #4 Lenoir-Rhyne, 12 p.m.
Game 4: #4 Lenoir-Rhyne vs. #1 North Greenville, 4 p.m.
Saturday, May 21
Game 5: #1 North Greenville vs. #4 Lenoir-Rhyne, 1 p.m. (If Necessary)
2022 NCAA Division II Southeast Region #2 Schedule (Wingate, N.C.)
Thursday, May 19
Game 1: #2 Wingate def. #7 Young Harris, 9-4 (Box Score)
Game 2: #3 Columbus State def. #6 Belmont Abbey, 15-8 (Box Score)
Friday, May 20
Game 3: #6 Belmont Abbey vs. #7 Young Harris, 3 p.m.
Game 4: #2 Wingate vs. #3 Columbus State, 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 21
Game 5: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Loser, 3 p.m.
Game 6: Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner, 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 22
Game 7: Game 6 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser, 3 p.m. (If Necessary)