HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker Cobras completed their three-game sweep of the North Greenville Crusaders with a pair of wins on Saturday (Mar. 30) afternoon. Coker pulled out a 3-2 win in game one and then blew past the Crusaders in game two, 13-3. Coker improves to 22-11 overall and 11-7 in Conference Carolinas play with the victories.
In game one, a three-run second inning gave the Cobras all the offense they needed as they proceeded to win the game 3-2. Dan Meyer (3-3) kept the Crusaders off balance for 6.1 innings, allowing just two runs on three hits with five strikeouts on the mound. Zach Loraine (11) closed out the game with two-thirds of an inning of work, earning his eleventh save of the season.
Fico Kondla went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs to lead the Cobras at the plate. Frank Suarez drove in Coker's only other run and Loraine had a pair of hits with a run scored.
The second game of the afternoon was a scoreless affair until Coker pushed a run across in the fourth. The Crusaders earned their first lead of the day with three-runs in the top of the fifth thanks to an RBI double by John Reinholz and an RBI triple from Adam Taylor.
The Cobras quickly erased the NGU lead with six runs in the bottom half of the fifth, two of which came from a single by T.J. Giczkowski. A two-run single by Loraine and an RBI single by Ernie Kirkwood in the sixth added three more runs to give Coker a comfortable 10-3 advantage.
Kondla gave the Cobras a few more insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth, courtesy of a three-run homer, making it a 13-3 ball game.
Kondla finished game two with a pair of hits, including a home run and four RBIs, while Giczkowski went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Also driving in two runs were Kirkwood and Loraine.
Andrew Goot (5-0) earned the win on the mound. He went 2.1 innings, allowing no runs and no hits with a pair of strikeouts in relief.
The Cobras will return to the diamond on Wednesday (April 3) when they travel to UNC Pembroke. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
McDonald's Player of the Game- Fico Kondla