In their second weekend of Southern Athletic Association play, the first-place Vikings split two tightly contested games against the Millsaps Majors (13-7), winning game one 7-6 and losing game two 6-7.
Game One: Berry 7, Millsaps 6
Berry amassed 13 hits in game one, five of which were recorded in the second inning alone. Singles from
Wesley Wade,
John D'Amelio,
Zachary Hardee,
John Poist, and a double from the reigning SAA Player of the Week,
Andrew Pendleton put the Majors in a 4-0 hole early. RBIs were credited to Poist, Brunswick, and two to D'Amelio.
A solo shot from Millsaps in the third inning and a trio of hits in the subsequent inning would give the Majors their first two runs of the series. The Vikings would soon offset the Majors' advancements though, scoring two more runs in the fifth inning as
Nick Brunswick logged his second RBI sacrifice fly of the game and
Dalton Smith singled to score D'Amelio from third.
Following two more pushes from the Majors offensively to make the 6-5, the Vikings would score their seventh and final run of the game thanks to an RBI sacrifice fly from
Joey Garcia to score
Jack Poist, who, prior to scoring, singled and stole both second and third base.
The game one winner was
Patrick O'Rourke, his third of the season.
Mason Carnes picked up his third save of the year as he held the Majors scoreless over the last three innings of play while striking out three.
Wesley Wade paced the team in hits, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored.
Game Two: Millsaps 7, Berry 6
Berry once again jumped out to an early lead, this time scoring two in the first inning from RBI singles off the bats of
Spence Johns and
Wesley Wade. That two-run lead would soon double for the Vikings, as they would add two more in the third inning with Pendleton picking up his team-leading 22nd RBI of the season.
Berry would once again add insurance runs in the middle innings. Leading 4-2, the Vikings would capitalize on a hit by pitch to Garcia to open the fifth inning. He would score on a Wade double just a few pitches later, his fifth two-bagger of the season. Wade too would complete the trip around the bases after a two-out, infield single from
John Poist.
From there, the Vikings would lose their grip on the Majors, surrendering five unanswered runs thanks in part to three errors and seven walks over the final four innings. Berry would lose the seven-inning affair in extras, falling in the eighth 7-6.
Wesley Wade stayed hot in Game Two, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
The rubber match against the Majors is slated for 1 p.m. CDT.