A five run first inning was too much to overcome as the Bruins baseball team fell to Truett-McConnell College 12-3 on Tuesday night in Greenville, South Carolina. With the loss, the Bruins fall to 4-18 on the season.
"We started off really flat but what I am thankful for is that we kept pushing on as the game continued," Bruins Baseball Coach Brent Casteel said. "Truett-McConnell is very effective with their bats, but starting off slow got us in a hole and you could tell the guys were kind of down. But we made some things happen and have to just keep pushing and keep playing."
The Bruins came into the game having won three of their last four as the team began a four-game homestand this week at Conestee Park. They knew they would be in for a tough test as they welcomed the Bears who came into Tuesday's game at 20-15 on the season having won seven of their last eight games.
Garrett Huskey would be the starter for the Bruins on the mound, but the Bears came out strong from the start as back to back doubles helped fuel a five-run first inning for TMU as they took a 5-0 lead. The Bears would add two more in the second inning thanks to a double from Andrew Johnston and a single from Devyn Munroe as TMU took a 7-0 lead.
The Bruins turned to Henry Wallach in relief and the sophomore was able to give the Bruins a boost on the mound pitching 7.2 innings of relief. The Bruins began to chip away at the lead in the 4th inning as two pass balls allowed Zach Burk and Riley Ramsey to score to make it 7-2. The Bears came right back as a sac fly in the 5th pushed the lead to 8-2.
Although the Bruins would get one run back in the 5th, a two-run homerun from Josh Johnston in the 9th put an exclamation point on a 12-3 win for Truett-McConnell.
"We just have to keep playing and keep learning what we are supposed to learn," Coach Casteel said. "We can't let up and when we learn and apply we will grow and get better. We have to trust that and continue to improve moving forward."
Next up, the Bruins will welcome Trinity Baptist College for a three-game series this weekend at Conestee Park. Game one of the series will be Friday night with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m.
