The UNC Asheville baseball team picked up two impressive wins this weekend as the Bulldogs won a Big South Conference series against Liberty at Greenwood Field.
First-year coach Tom Smith’s team edged the Flames 5-4 on Friday and then won Saturday’s first game, 2-1 on Justin Schumer’s solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. Liberty won Saturday’s nightcap 7-3 but the Bulldogs had already claimed their first Big South series win since the 2008 season. The Flames are traditionally one of the top teams in the league every year and they did not expect to lose a series to the Bulldogs.
Asheville is 7-13 on the young season and has shown a great deal of improvement already this year. The Bulldogs only won nine games all of last year and will surpass their win total from a year ago shortly.
One of the most impressive feats this weekend was Asheville’s pitching. The Bulldogs got a great effort from freshman Drew Spear in Friday’s win. Spear bounced back from a rocky start to limit Liberty the rest of the game. On Saturday, sophomore Ryan Dull was impressive in pitching a complete game against the Flames. He allowed a run in the first inning and little else after that to raise his record to 3-0. Dull also earned a save on Friday.
Smith promised his team would play hard for nine innings. The Bulldogs have done just that and will play everybody tough the rest of the season.
This weekend Asheville hosts VMI in a Big South Conference series. The series begins at Greenwood Field on Friday at 3 p.m., followed by a double-header at McCormick Field on Saturday at 1 p.m. Come out and support the Bulldogs. You’ll see an improved team that’s only going to get better.
Monday, March 29, 2010
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