PULASKI, Tenn. – The Martin Methodist Baseball team claimed the program's fastest start to a season in over a decade as it claimed the first two games of its home-opener series against Asbury (Ky.) University Friday afternoon at the East Campus.
The RedHawks (5-0) entered Friday's doubleheader on the heels of a sweep of Point (Ga.) University last weekend, a feat which marked just the program's second 3-0 record after its first series since the 2007 season.
The good vibes continued Friday as the RedHawks never trailed in either contest and even claimed a lopsided 12-1 victory in the second showdown of the day.
The 11-run victory saw the RedHawks club out a season-best 12 hits and a season-high 12 RBIs. Four of the runs came via the longball as catcher Caleb Lindsey belted a three-run homer in the bottom of the second – an inning that saw the RedHawks race out to a 6-0 lead.
The lead ballooned to 9-0 after just three innings before the Eagles (0-2) tallied their lone run of the second contest in the top of the sixth. But the RedHawks responded with three more in the bottom half of the frame – highlighted by freshman Will Norwood's solo homer in his first career at-bat – to ultimately pull ahead by the eventual 12-1 final score.
Four RedHawks finished the contest with two hits each as Seth Staggs, Evan Fergerson and Caleb Patterson joined Lindsey with two hits apiece. Five of the RedHawks 12 hits went for extra bases as Staggs added a triple and Brodie Jeffery and Lindsey collected a double each.
On the mound, Elliott Bush tossed five innings of three-hit, shutout ball to pick up his first win (1-0) in a RedHawk uniform. The left-hander issued two walks, but also struck out four Eagles in his five innings of work.
Morgan Wilson and Thomas Huddleston allowed a hit each, but wiggled out potential sticky situations in their individual innings of relief work.
The wins lifted the RedHawks to their best start since at least the 2003 season – with the 2007 club's 4-1 mark through five games matching the second-best mark.
The RedHawks and Eagles will play another pair of seven-inning contests on Saturday at the East Campus. First pitch in Saturday's doubleheader is set for Noon.
Game 1:
Martin Methodist 4, Asbury (Ky.) 1:
In Friday's opener, Martin Methodist scored in four of its six innings at the plate and Blake Beavers allowed just one run in a win that kickstarted the series for the RedHawks.
The RedHawks started the contest with a bang as leadoff man Blake Truett clubbed the first of his two doubles on the afternoon to start the first. Truett advanced to third on a groundout and then came around to score on an RBI single from Seth Staggs to give the RedHawks an early one-run lead.
Martin Methodist tacked on another run in the second in similar fashion as Austin Schubert doubled to left and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly from Jimbo Ramsey to push the lead to 2-0.
Ramsey scored the RedHawks third run in the bottom of the fifth after he singled to lead off the frame and then scored on Truett's second double of the afternoon.
The RedHawks tacked on a final insurance run in the bottom of the sixth on a second sacrifice fly from Ramsey that plated Evan Fergerson to push the lead to 4-0.
As a team, the RedHawks finished with eight hits – three of which came from Truett, who finished the game a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate.
Beavers, meanwhile, scattered six hits across seven innings of work to pick up his second victory (2-0) of the season. The junior was highly effective at times for the RedHawks as he notched eight strikeouts and did not allow a run until a one-out homer in the top of the seventh.
