Baseball Falls in Saturday Doubleheader

WINGATE, N.C. - The Cobras baseball team dropped a doubleheader to defending national champions Wingate on Saturday (Feb. 5). The Bulldogs took the first game 11-1, then won the second game by a 4-1 margin in seven innings. 

After recording 14 hits in their first game against Wingate on Thursday (Feb. 3), the Cobras found it much more difficult to reach base in their Saturday double dip. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of the opening game and never looked back. The Cobras scratched across their only run in the seventh inning to stave off the shutout. Coker was led by freshman third baseman Brady Jeffcoat, who collected three of the four Cobras hits. Fellow freshman catcher Eli Hopkins picked up the other hit and drove in the lone run.

In the second game of the doubleheader, the Cobra pitching staff was able to stem the tide of Bulldogs hits that had been seen in the first two matchups of the season. Junior Chris Watkins got the start on the mound and went three innings, allowing just three hits and three runs to go along with his four strikeouts. Watkins was relieved by senior Triston Fowler, who finished the final three innings on the hill, giving up just two hits and one run. Fowler also fanned five Bulldogs on the night. Offensively, Coker was led by senior Reilly Hall's two hits. Hall's classmates Bryan Castillo and Jackson Williams each recorded a hit, with Castillo's being of the two-base variety. 

The Cobras will be back in action on the diamond this Friday (Feb. 11), as they welcome Shepherd University to Hartsville for the 2022 season home opener. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m., with live video and statistics available at www.cokercobras.com.