Luke Toms unloaded for two home runs and Trent Hill hurled a two-hitter as the Lee baseball team completed the three-game sweep over Union University, 11-1 (eight-inning, run rule) on Sunday afternoon.
The Flames banged out 18 hits in sweeping their second straight Gulf South Conference series. They have now won nine of their last 10 GSC contests and have claimed 10 of their last 12 overall starts. Lee improved to 13-9 in the conference standings and 23-14 overall.
"It was another big weekend for us as we try to claw our way back into the conference tournament race,” coach Mark Brew said.
(Only six teams qualify for the GSC tournaments and the Flames are currently closing in on the sixth position.) “Our pitching and defense was top notch all weekend and Trent gave us another solid effort today."
The Flames jumped out to a 3-0 margin in the second inning and never looked back. Lee stretched the margin to 4-0 in the third inning on a solo homer by Toms. The Bulldogs posted their only run in the fourth inning, while the Flames countered back with four more runs in the sixth and three scores in the eighth to put the contest completely out of reach.
Holland blasted his 14th home run in the sixth inning and pushed his RBI total to 41 with a two-run shot over the right center-field wall. Toms concluded his tremendous performance at the dish with a three-run homer in the eighth inning. He also had a pair of singles in his four-hit performance. The Lee shortstop pushed his home run total to 10 on the season and now has 36 RBI.
Hill gave the Flames their third straight outstanding pitching performance. The lefty (5-2) worked seven innings, allowing the two hits, striking out four and walking four. Tyler Burcham came on to pitch a perfect eighth inning.
Tyler Payne was 3-of-3, drove in a pair of runs and scored once. Nate Wierzgac added a double and a single and scored a run. Geremy Walton picked up two hits, collected a RBI and scored twice, while Zack Zyburt made the best of a starting role picking up two hits, driving in a run and scoring once. Miguel Pimentel stroked a double, while Chris Adams and Ty Broady rounded out the hitting attack.
"We did a great job yesterday getting clutch hits with two outs, but today we really took some great swings. We banged out 18 hits, but also had several hard outs,” Brew noted. "I'm really proud of these guys. They are doing what it takes to get us back in position and we need another big week this week."
The Flames will return to Olympic Field on Wednesday evening and host Young Harris College in a single nine-inning, non-conference game. The highlight of the week comes next Saturday when the Flames will host their annual Military Appreciation Day. All the action is slated for a 2 p.m. start and Christian Brothers University will be in town for the three-game series.