By: Jake Miller
HARTSVILLE, S.C.- Coker baseball split its Saturday (Mar. 25) doubleheader with Wingate and lost the series two games to one.
The Cobras won game one of the doubleheader 8-1 and dropped the seven-inning rubber match 2-1.
The Cobras struck in the second, third and fourth innings to take a 3-0 lead to the fifth inning. Jon Koski's RBI double brought Bryson Conner around to score in the second, before Thomas Lopez singled through the left side to score Clint Allen in the third. The Cobras got their fourth inning run on a Connor Cleary single to right field that scored Koski. Wingate scored their lone run in the fifth inning, before a three-spot in the sixth padded the lead for the home team. Conner and Koski smoked back-to-back doubles with Conner scoring on the second one. With no one out, Tanner Crosby attempted to lay down a sacrifice bunt, and the ball was fielded and thrown away, allowing Koski to score from second. Crosby later scored on a single up the middle by Allen. Coker was able to pad the lead further with two in the seventh inning as the result of a throwing error on a failed double play.
Koski led the offense in the win, mashing three extra-base hits and driving in three runs, also scoring twice. Allen also chalked up three hits and drove in one while scoring once. Lopez and Conner each recorded two hits, with both of Conner's going for two bases. AJ Strnad, Robert Lybrand and Cleary each added one. Forrest Arnold (4-0) earned the win on the bump, firing 6.1 innings allowing one earned run on seven hits while allowing one free pass and striking out three. Griffin Hollifield worked a scoreless 2.2 innings giving up one hit and punching out three.
Game two was a defensive battle that saw Coker strike first in the second when Koski was able to score Conner yet again on an RBI single. Coker held the 1-0 lead until the top of the fourth when the Bulldogs tied the game. Wingate would take the lead for good in the top of the fifth, with Coker unable to tie the game despite getting two runners on before the first out was recorded in the fifth. Koski's double to right center lead off the inning, before Crosby lifted a single to shallow center. The ball was a close play for the Wingate center fielder, that did not allow Koski to advance to third. After Cleary's sacrifice bunt moved both runners up, Allen laced a line drive that looked destined for the 5-6 hole on the left side of the infield. A great snag by Wingate's third baseman and a heads up defensive play allowed the Bulldogs to double off Crosby at second base to end the inning. The Cobras had another chance with runners on the corners and two outs in the sixth in which they could not cash the tying run in.
Koski collected two hits and one RBI in the loss, while Strnad, Darius Coldiron, Conner and Crosby each tallied one hit. Coldiron (4-2) took the loss on the mound, tossing five innings allowing two runs, one earned on six hits. The senior walked one and struck out two. Hollifield came on for his team-high 16th appearance of the year, allowing two hits and striking out one over two innings of relief.
The Cobras take the field again on Wednesday (Mar. 29) when they travel to Claflin for a non-conference doubleheader with first pitch slated for 3:00 p.m.
McDonald's Player of the Game- Jon Koski