WILSON, N.C.-The Coker Cobras earned a 5-1 victory in their opening game against the Barton Bulldogs, but dropped the nightcap, 8-1 at historic Fleming Stadium to earn a split of Friday's Conference Carolinas baseball doubleheader.
The Cobras can clinch the sixth and final playoff bid to next week's Conference Carolinas Tournament if they win in tomorrow's series finale and get help from other teams.
GAME ONE: Coker 5, Barton 1
Junior Brinley Griffin launched a pair of solo home runs to help complement a strong performance by classmate Tyler Witzel as Coker earned a 5-1 win to start the series.
Witzel took a shutout into the ninth inning before giving up a solo home run. He allowed three of the Bulldogs six hits in the ninth to be chased having tossed 133 pitches and just two outs shy of the complete game. Witzel (4-3) earned the win with eight strikeouts over 8.1 innings.
Junior Russ White (1) took over for Witzel with the potential game-tying run on deck and induced a game-ending double play on his first batter faced to earn his first save of the season.
After three scoreless innings to start, Griffin put the Cobras on top for good with a one-out moon shot over the right field fence. Coker doubled up its lead by the end of the frame by scoring a second run on a wild pitch. Griffin then blasted his second long ball to right to lead off the sixth to increase the visitor's advantage to 3-0. A pair of unearned runs in the seventh completed Coker's scoring.
Griffin finished the contest going 3-for-5.
GAME TWO: Barton 8, Coker 1
Game two belonged to the Bulldogs, as they came away with an 8-1 victory.
Senior Jake Frazier produced half of the Cobras hits going 2-for-3 with Coker's lone run scored.
Junior starter Dan Meyer (6-5) allowed seven earned runs on 10 hits over 4.1 innings in the loss. He have four K's.
Barton (16-31 Overall, 7-17 Conf.) and Coker (23-22, 13-13) will wrap up league play and the three-game series on Saturday at Nixon Field with first pitch slated for noon.