MYRTLE BEACH, SC – The Norse Baseball Team (2-2) beat the Scotland Sports Campus Knights for the second time in two days with by a score of 8-7 to open up the second day of their spring trip. The second game saw the Camp Community College Hurricanes run away with an 11-5 victory.
The Norse got the scoring going in the top of the second. Ernesto Gomez (SO, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) doubled to right field to drive in a run. David Ibn Ezra (SO, Tel Aviv, Israel) followed that with an RBI single, and Tanner Halvorson (SO, Eau Claire, WI) lined a ball to center to make the score 3-0.
The Knights answered immediately, and scored three runs on just one hit. They took advantage of three walks and an error in the inning.
The Norse regained the lead in the fourth. Grant Craft (FR, Canberra, Australia) lifted a pop fly to the right side of the infield that fell for a base hit, driving in one. Halvorson scored on a wild pitch, and the Norse led 5-3.
The Bay starter Ian Schwalbach (FR, Gladstone, MI) put himself in a tough spot in the bottom half of the fourth. After walking the first three hitters of the inning, he struck out the side to leave the bases loaded to end the threat.
The Norse got some insurance runs in the sixth with a clutch base hit by Dalton Graham (FR, Sault Ste. Marie, MI). With two outs he hit a ground ball through the hole and into right, driving in Ibn Ezra and Halvorson. Ibn Ezra added drove in another run in the seventh with a single, and the Norse led 8-3.
The Knights tried to rally in the bottom half. They took advantage of some walks and wild pitches, and ended up with the tying run at the plate. Miles Newsome (Upper Marlboro, MD) ripped a shot into right center field with two outs. The ball split the gap and went to the wall, and as the Norse finally got to the ball and began to relay it in, Newsome rounded third and attempted to complete the inside-the-park homerun. It looked as though the relay would result in a close play at the plate, but as Newsome rounded third, he lost his footing and went to the ground. He tried to scramble back to third, but was tagged out for the final out of the game, allowing the Norse to escape with the one-run win.
Schwalbach earned his first collegiate win on the mound, going five innings and giving up three runs, one of them earned. He struck out seven and walked five, but only gave up two hits. Dante Sartorelli (FR, Menominee, MI) worked the final two thirds to get credit for the save.
Ibn Ezra finished the game three for three with two RBI.
The Norse used an error to extend the first inning and plate a pair of runs, but the Hurricanes answered back quickly. A two-out single by Adam Sanders (FR, Yorktown, VA) singled to right to drive in two and tie it.
Camp CC took advantage of some control issues over the next few innings to open the game up. A crucial error with the bases loaded scored all three runners, putting the Norse into a hole. The Hurricanes scored four in the third and five in the fourth, and the Norse found themselves down by nine.
Jose Pichardo (FR, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) singled in a run in the fifth, and Abel Rodriguez (FR, Los Fresnos, TX) doubled to bring in two more, but the Norse would not be able to draw any closer.
Jared Showalter (SO, Huntingdon, PA) earned the win on the mound, going four innings and giving up four hits and one earned run while striking out five.
Ben Snyder (SO, Powers, MI) took the loss, going two and one third. The Norse got nice relief efforts from Riley McElfresh (FR, Cable, WI) and Sam Schneider (SO, Cheboygan, MI).
Hector Araguayan (FR, Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela) ended the game going two for three.
The Norse continue their week in Myrtle Beach with a doubleheader on Monday. They will face Olney Central Community College at 11 am.