The Bob Jones University Bruins baseball team fell in back-to-back contests to NCCAA South Region opponent Southeastern Baptist College on Saturday. Game one saw the Bruins fall 7-4 before losing in extra innings 12-11 to the Chargers. With today's results, the Bruins now sit at 5-13 on the season.
As game one got underway at Conestee Park in Greenville, South Carolina, the Bruins got off to a strong start. Jacob Highsmith put together a two RBI double to score Henry Rumble and Evan Johnson to get the Bruins on the board. Highsmith crossed home plate off of a sacrifice fly from Angelo Gomez to put the Bruins up 3-0 in the opening inning.
The Chargers responded in the second inning with a leadoff home run. They tacked on another run off a wild pitch to close the gap.
In the third inning, two errors by the Bruins allowed runners to get on base and advance. With the bases loaded, Southeastern Baptist added three more runs on a three RBI double to go up 6-3.
The score held until the bottom of the sixth when Highsmith's RBI double put another run on the board for Bob Jones. The Chargers added a seventh run of the day in the final inning to secure the 7-4 game one win over the Bruins.
After a brief break, the two teams were back on the field for the second game of Saturday's doubleheader.
Southeastern Baptist struck first in the opening inning, plating two runs. Bob Jones responded immediately in the bottom half. Jacob Highsmith tripled to drive in Henry Rumble, then scored on a wild pitch to even the game at 2-2.
After the Chargers reclaimed the 3-2 lead in the top of the second, Preston Cox tripled, and Gabe Gearhart later scored on a wild pitch to tie the game 3-3.
The Bruins briefly took the 4-3 lead in the third before the Chargers pushed ahead 6-4 in the top of the fourth inning.
The Bruins continued chipping away. Mannix Crawford drove in Kyle Prouse with an RBI double in the fourth, before Cody Kirkpatrick tied the game in the fifth with an RBI double that scored Sam Gearhart.
Southeastern stretched their lead to 11-6 at the top of the sixth inning, but Bob Jones refused to back down. In the bottom of the sixth, the Bruins cut the deficit to three. They then mounted a rally in the seventh. Preston Cox doubled home a run, Kyle Prouse singled in another, and Johnson was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to tie the game at 11-11. With the bases loaded, the Bruins were unable to walk it off with back-to-back strikeouts.
The Chargers responded in the eighth, giving Southeastern a 12-11 advantage that held through the final inning.
Following today's contests, Head Coach Kyle Morrison shared his thoughts. "In game one, we had some crucial fielding errors that really set us back in the early part of the game. We probably walk out of there with a win if we make the routine play. In game two, we hit the ball great, and we scored a fair number of runs. But when it matters the most, we still have to find a way to put the ball in play. This team can be really good, we just have to get more disciplined."
The Bruins are back at home on Tuesday night for a 4 p.m. contest against Truett McConnell University.
