Lions clinch No. 4 seed in SAC Tournament, close out regular season against Newberry
Lions end season with most SAC wins in program history (19) and highest SAC finish since 2017 (4th).
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newberry | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 11 | 0 |
| Mars Hill | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 1 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newberry | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| Mars Hill | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | X | 6 | 8 | 0 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newberry | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 12 | 0 |
| Mars Hill | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
Team Stats
Game 1
Newberry
Game 2
Newberry
Newberry
MARS HILL, N.C. - The Mars Hill baseball team (26-23-1, 19-11-1 SAC) closed out the regular season versus Newberry (27-23, 19-14), winning game two to clinch home field advantage in their first round matchup versus Lincoln Memorial in the South Atlantic Conference tournament.
GAME ONE: NBY 13, MHU 4
Newberry took game one, racking up 13 runs on 11 hits Friday afternoon.
The Wolves used plated 10 runs combined in the sixth and ninth innings, plating five apiece in the frames.
Luke Compton led all players with four hits, scoring three runs. Nick Foster drove in four, going 2-for-4 from the plate.
Peyton Starkey and Terick Bumgarner led the Lions with two hits apiece while Alejandro Aguilar led the team with two RBI.
Jacob Clark was credted with the win, throwing 6.2 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits.
GAME TWO: MHU 6, NBY 4
The Lions used a three-run fifth inning to leap over the Wolves late in Friday's game two, evening the series.
Following Evan Ashe's RBI sacrifice bunt, plating Chapel Matson, Terick Bumgarner's RBI double down the left field line scored Peyton Starkey for the game-winning run. Gavyn Miller plated Bumgarner with a double through the right side, adding the insurance marker.
The Lions opened the scoring in the first, plating three as Ashe singled to score Matson for the first run of the game. Bumgarner recorded a two-run triple to build the Lions' lead to three.
Starkey and Bumgarner led the team with two hits apiece while the latter led all players with three RBI.
Reid Withers struck out seven in the win, going 5.0 strong innings. Brady Stephens earned his fifth save of the year, throwing two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit.
GAME THREE: NBY 11, MHU 1 - 8 Innings
In Sunday's regular season finale, the Newberry bats came alive, outscoring the Lions by 10 off of 12 hits.
Logan Busenlehner led all players with five RBI while Keillor Osbon led all players with three hits, adding three RBI.
Nick Riedel advanced to 9-0 on the year, allowing one run on four hits.
Mel Rubiera, Chapel Matson, Peyton Starkey, Alejandro Aguilar, Yeriel Pastrana, and Jack Davis were responsible for the Lions' six hits.
Prior to first pitch, seniors Colin McCaw, Reid Withers, Terick Bumgarner, Jack Davis, Evan Ashe, Chapel Matson, Owen Bynum, Matt Pacheco, Sam Odum, Dustin Dunlap and Peyton Starkey were recognized and celebrated for their contributions to the program.
With the Lions' game two win, and a Lenoir-Rhyne win over Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, Mars Hill clinched the No. 4 seed in the South Atlantic Conference tournament. Due to tiebreak scenarios, Lincoln Memorial claimed the No. 5 seed.
This marks the Lions' first postseason appearance since 2022. Their 26-23-1 record is the best finish for the team since 2017 (29-21) and their 19 conference wins established a new program best.
During the regular season, the Lions took the series 2-1 on the road, winning games one (4-1) and three (9-3). Game two went to the Railsplitters off of a RBI single, walking off the contest in the bottom of the ninth. Despite the loss, the Lions did rally in the top of the frame, scoring two to tie the game at six.
The Lions will take on Lincoln Memorial on Friday, May 1, hosted at No. 1 seed Catawba University. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
