CONWAY, Ark. – After starting 8-2 prior to Southern Athletic Association play, Hendrix hosted Berry for a pair of games Saturday to open up conference play. In the first game, Hendrix came back from trailing 6-4 after striking for five runs in the eighth inning to record a 9-6 victory. In the second game, a five-run first inning was more than enough for freshman pitching sensation
Andrei Stoyanow who is coming off of earning SAA Pitcher of the Week. Stoyanow's six innings of shutout baseball and seven total innings of two-run ball propelled the Warriors to a 6-2 victory and improves Hendrix to a 10-2 start to the season including a 2-0 mark in conference play. The 10-2 start to the season is, by far, the greatest start to a baseball season at Hendrix in program history (since 1901; 118 years).
HOW THE WARRIORS SCORED:
GAME 1
- 2nd -
Jorge Leon singled to right field, 2 RBI;
Seth Tucker advanced to third;
Sean Dehne scored;
Rail Gilliam scored, unearned.
- 6th -
Seth Tucker singled to center field, RBI;
Josh Walker scored.
- 6th -
Jorge Leon reached on a throwing error by 1b, RBI;
Seth Tucker scored, unearned.
- 8th -
Jorge Leon doubled to left field, 2 RBI;
Sean Dehne scored;
Josh Walker scored.
- 8th -
Ford Sherrington singled to right field, RBI;
Tanner Cooper advanced to third;
Jorge Leon scored.
- 8th -
Andrei Stoyanow singled to left field, RBI;
Ford Sherrington advanced to third;
Tanner Cooper scored.
- 8th -
Andrei Stoyanow stole second;
Ford Sherrington scored on the throw.
GAME 2
- 1st -
Andrei Stoyanow singled up the middle, 2 RBI, advanced to second;
Ford Sherrington scored;
Tanner Cooper scored.
- 1st -
Juan Pablo Leon singled to second base, RBI, advanced to second;
Andrei Stoyanow scored.
- 1st -
Rail Gilliam reached on a fielding error by cf, advanced to second, RBI;
Juan Pablo Leon scored, unearned.
- 1st -
Josh Walker singled to left center, RBI;
Rail Gilliam scored, unearned.
- 4th -
Tanner Cooper doubled to right field, RBI;
Jorge Leon advanced to third;
Seth Tucker scored.
WARRIORS' DECISION(S) ON THE MOUND:
GAME 1
W –
Kyle Wellman (1-0); 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R/0 ER, 0 K/0 BB
GAME 2
W –
Andrei Stoyanow (2-0); 7.0 IP (CG), 6 H, 2 R/1 ER, 2K/1 BB
NOTABLE:
GAME 1
- Jo. Leon got things rolling for the Warriors after a two-RBI single to right field in the second inning to bring home Dehne and Gilliam.
- After the Vikings took the 6-4 lead in the eighth, Jo. Leon recorded another timely two-RBI hit; this time a double to left field to tie the game up.
- Sherrington singled two batters later to bring Jo. Leon home in what would be the eventual game-winning run still in the eighth as Hendrix won 9-6.
- Jo. Leon batted 3-5 with a season-high 5 RBIs against the Vikings.
- Walker, who came into Saturday with three hits on the year, batted 3-3 with a double and two runs.
- Cooper and Ju. Leon also carded mult-hit games in the three-run win.
-
Jack Hodgins got the start for Hendrix; tossing six full innings of eight-hit baseball. The freshman allowed three earned runs and struck out three in the no decision.
-
Taylor Barker retired the final three outs for the Warriors in a no-save opportunity.
GAME 2
- After two quick outs in the bottom half of the first inning, four straight two-out hits by Hendrix and a Berry fielding error soon resulted in a 4-0 lead for the home team.
- Walker singled home Gilliam in the first to put Hendrix up 5-0 through one full inning.
- Stoyanow allowed a pair of one-out singles in the seventh and threw a couple of wild pitches but the Warriors were able to hold off Berry for the 6-2 victory to clinch its first conference series since March 2018 (Birmingham-Southern) and first two-game, one-day sweep of Berry since March 4, 2017 (W 8-7, W 4-3).
- Cooper registered a 3-4 outing with a run and a RBI in the victory; also hit the lone extra-base hit of the game for Hendrix (double).
- Sherrington tallied the lone other multi-hit performance for Hendrix after going 2-3 with a run and a RBI.
- Stoyanow helped out his own cause after batting 1-4 with a run and a pair of RBIs.
- Stoyanow, who struck out 13 batters in six innings of work in his collegiate debut against University of the Ozarks, tossed a complete game against the Vikings and gave up just six hits; two of which came in the seventh inning.
- Tucker recorded a stolen base while Sherrington registered two; Stoyanow also carded a stole base in the four-run victory.
WHO'S NEXT:
The Warriors, who lost four times to Berry a year ago, gear up for the final game against the Vikings in the conference-opening series; last game is set for Sunday at noon from Conway.
