An eight-run fourth inning was too much to overcome as the Bruins fell to Truett-McConnell University 18-4 on Tuesday afternoon in Cleveland, Georgia. With the loss, the Bruins fall to 0-8 on the season.
"It was another tough one on the road for us," Bruins Head Baseball Coach Brent Casteel said. "We started the game swinging the bats aggressively but we just couldn't keep up the momentum. Defensively, we struggled as well with a few errors that helped them run up the score."
The Bruins came into the game on the heels of a tough road series over the weekend against Toccoa Falls College. They knew they would be in for another tough opponent as they faced the Bears who came into the game at 9-7 having won two of their last three games.
The Bruins got on the board first as Isaiah Brandt scored off a fielder's choice to put the team up 1-0. The Bears came right back with three runs in the bottom of the first to take a 3-1 lead.
In the second and third innings, the Bears added to their lead before breaking the game wide open in the bottom of the fourth. Truett-McConnell scored eight runs in the fourth inning thanks to seven hits as they continued to find gaps in the Bruins defense. As a result, the Bruins had a big hole to dig out of as they trailed 14-1 in the top of the fifth.
The Bruins refused to give up and came out looking to chip away at the lead. The team was able to get a run in the top of the sixth as Zach Burk scored on the fielder's choice. The Bruins then got a pair of runs in the top of the 7th but the lead was too much to overcome as the Bears finished off the Bruins 18-4.
"We have a couple of days of practice this week and we're going to get back to work to prepare for this weekend," Coach Casteel said. "We're going to keep pressing on."
Ethan Rogers was the starting pitcher for the Bruins pitching three and two-thirds innings of work. Jerry Dunwoody came in relief for the Bruins pitching just over two innings as the Bears racked up 16 hits in the game. The Bruins struggled to get their bats going as the team had just two hits in the game.
Next up, the Bruins will play a three-game home series this weekend as they welcome Carolina University. Game one of the series is coming up on Friday night at 6 p.m. at Conestee Park.
