Atlanta, Ga. - The Hendrix Warriors hit the road for the first time this season to open up Southern Athletic Association (SAA) play versus the Oglethorpe Stormy Petrals.
Hendrix roared out the gate with an emphatic 13-4 victory in the series opener, but then fell victim to a combined no-hitter in Game 2 in a 7-0 shutout loss to set up Sunday's rubber match.
Andrei Stoyanow toed the rubber in Game 3 and was sensational, tossing 6.0 IP of 4-hit ball with just one run while fanning 11 batters to earn the win. The 5th-year senior is now 3-0 on the year.
Jacob Carpentier's 2-run blast in the 2nd inning gave the Warriors a 3-0 advantage. Oglethorpe would get a run back in the 5th, before
Joseph Watts lifted a ball deep to right-center in the 7th for another 2-run shot. The Warriors would tack on three more runs to secure the 8-1 victory and clinch the conference-opening series.
John Henry Fowler came in relief of Stoyanow and was dominant, punching out 6 batters in 3-innings of work to earn the save.
Game 1
Bryson Bales took the mound for the series opener and picked up the win after going 5.2 IP with 9 punchouts.
Bobby Fowler earned the first of two saves in the series for the Fowler brothers, tossing 3.1 IP and giving up just two hits while inducing 8 groundouts.
The Warriors offense took full advantage of five Oglethorpe errors with a couple of long balls from
Joseph Watts and
Hogan Ralston. Watts, Ralston,
Adam Bland, and
Drake Job each knocked in a pair of runs.
Austin Rabago had himself a day, knocking in 3 runs, two of those on a 2 RBI double that allowed Watts and Job to score.
Watts and Job would combine for seven runs scored in Game 1.
Game 2
A rough outing for the Orange and Black in the second game of the doubleheader. Hendrix was on the receiving end of a combined no-hitter while giving up 13 hits en route to a 7-0 shutout.
After clinching the series, the Warriors improve to 9-3 (2-1 SAA) on the year. They will head to Marshall, Texas for a midweek contest with the East Texas Baptist Tigers on March 7 before returning home to host a weekend series versus the Sewanee Tigers (March 10-11). First pitch for Friday's single contest is scheduled for 5:00 PM CT at Warrior Baseball Field.