PEMBROKE — Facing a 6-0 deficit after the top of the 1st, the UNC Pembroke baseball team scored 10 unanswered runs to complete the comeback over Southern Wesleyan and take a 10-6 win in Game 1 of a Conference Carolinas weekend series Friday night at Sammy Cox Field.
Jonathon Jacobs (7-1) went six scoreless innings after getting out of the first, allowing just one hit the rest of the way, tying a career-high with seven innings pitched and racking up 11 strikeouts to pick up his seventh win of the season.
Michael Dolberry II paced the offense, sending the first pitch of the sixth inning deep into the night to get the rally started, while turning in a 3-for-4, five-RBI performance in the victory.
The Braves (36-12, 17-11 CC) moved to 6-1 all-time against the Warriors (9-39, 7-21 CC)
The Warriors started the game with three straight singles, as Gage Shaver put SWU on the board first with his RBI single. Zach Kim reached on an RBI infield single, while Jason Culley added a two-RBI single to make it 4-0. T.J. Highsmith would walk and come around to score on a wild pitch, while Luke Staton would drive in the guests’ final run of the night with an RBI single.
Michael Dolberry II jumped on the first pitch of the sixth inning and blasted it deep over the left-center field wall to cut the deficit to 6-2.
Will Hood got the Braves’ seventh-inning rally going with a one-out single, Ashton Donathan reached via error, while Blake Hinson singled to load the bases. Dolberry struck again, this time a two-run single up the middle to cut the deficit in half at 6-4. Joey Rezek’s RBI infield single made it 6-5, while Dolberry scored on a wild pitch to tie the game. Kody O’Connor gave the Braves the lead with a sac fly to score Rezek.
In the eighth, Hood laced a two-out single up the middle to extend the inning, and Donathan followed with an RBI double to make it 8-6. Hinson traded places with Donathan, making it 9-6, before Dolberry put the final touches on his night with an RBI double to stretch the lead to 10-6.
Hinson had two hits including a double with three runs and an RBI and Hood had two hits and a stolen base for UNCP.
Bryce Metts (2-2) took the loss for SWU.
The two squads will close out the series tomorrow with a Senior Day doubleheader set to begin at 1 p.m. UNCP’s 11-man senior class will be recognized prior to the start of the doubleheader, with festivities set to begin at 12:35 p.m.