CARY, NC – The William Peace baseball team opened the season against conference opponent Greensboro College this afternoon, where they fell, 15-1, in the first game followed by a 14-inning, 6-3, loss in game two.
Game One: Greensboro 15, William Peace 1 (7 innings)
Greensboro scored three runs in their first two at bats, but WPU cut it to one as JT Howington doubled and scored on a base hit from Trevor Nanney. The Pride scored nine runs on nine hits though in the top of the sixth, which propelled them to a 15-1 win in seven innings.
Wes Dumford (0-1) got the start for WPU and was pinned with the loss after giving up four earned (five total) on seven hits, two walks and three strikeouts in four innings of work. Chase Roupp wasn't treated kindly by the Greensboro lineup, as they tagged him for 10 earned runs on 10 hits in 1.2 innings pitched.
In addition to Howington and Nanney, Trey Hathaway, Jacob Ennis and Greg Chauvin all collected one hit apiece.
Kristopher Peeden (1-0) pitched the Pride to victory, giving up one run on five hits and three strikeouts in six innings. Offensively for Greensboro, J.P. Lisk went 4-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Andrew Toney went 4-for-5 with three RBI and one run scored, and Gwynn Thompson went 3-for-4 game to go along with an RBI and three runs scored.
Game Two: Greensboro 6, William Peace 3 (14 innings)
WPU (0-2, 0-2 USAS) struck first in the bottom of the second. Chase Roupp was plunked and eventually came around to score, as Hunter Allen reached on an error committed by the left fielder.
Greensboro (2-0, 2-0 USAS) tied it up in the fourth and added another in the fifth for a 2-1 lead, but the Pacers answered in the bottom half of the inning, knotting things back up at two. Trey Hathaway led off with a single to left, advanced to second on a sacrifice and then swiped third, before scoring on Christian Neal's single up the middle.
The Pacers took a 3-2 lead in the bottom half of the seventh, as Trey Hogan led off with a walk and scored on a Josh Clark base knock, but Greensboro tied things up again at three the next half inning.
WPU had their chances to score in extra innings, their best opportunity coming in the bottom of the 11th with one out and the bases loaded before grounding into an inning-ending double play. The Pacers left 13 runners on base and were doubled up four times in the final five innings. Greensboro scored three in the top of the 14th for the win.
Aron Crumb (0-1) was tacked with the loss, throwing 6.2 innings giving up four earned on eight hits. Mike Sgroi started for the Pacers. He gave up two earned on eight hits, two walks and seven strikeouts in seven innings of work. At the plate, Hogan and Clark both notched two hits, while four other Pacers also had one hit each.
Austin Hardin (1-0) earned the win for Greensboro in relief, giving up two hits in 3.2 scoreless innings. Lisk led the way again for the Greensboro lineup with four more hits and a pair of runs scored. Andrew Ray had three hits and an RBI.
The Pacers return to action at the USA Baseball National Training Complex for one more game against Greensboro tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.
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