BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Berry Baseball completed the series against SAA opponent, Birmingham-Southern taking the series 2-1 with a 10-7 victory today.
Viking freshman Aubrey Moraitakis notched his first career victory on the mound, leading Berry's stride by clinching the three-game baseball series against No. 18 Birmingham Southern in a 10-7 rubber match on Sunday afternoon
The hurler threw five complete innings consisting of four strikeouts, two hits, and only one earned run against the ranked foe.
The Vikings (17-8, 5-4 SAA) struck early, plating four runners in the top of the first inning. Riley Uhls, Andrew Pendleton, Garrett Lang, and Alex Knapp became the Birmingham Southern (13-10, 4-5 SAA) pitcher's worst fear, each accumulating RBIs in the top of the order.
The game quickly became a pitchers' duel after Berry's bats exploded in the first. Each team scored once in the third, with Pendleton picking up his second of four RBIs on the day.
In a 5-1 ball game, the Vikings found their rhythm once again in the top of the fifth inning, scoring three runs on two outs. Nick Brunswick led off the inning with a walk. Stealing second and advancing to third on a wild pitch, Berry had a runner in scoring position without any outs. The next two Vikings went down swinging, but Pendleton once again thrived under the pressure, singling to shortstop and plating Brunswick in the process.
Lang capitalized on a crucial Panther error and beat out the throw to first base. Still with two outs, Knapp singled to center field and scored Pendleton in the process. Remaining disciplined at the plate, two consecutive walks allowed Lang to advance home which increased Berry's score to 8-1 in the top of the fifth.
Both teams notched runs in the sixth inning, keeping score deficit at seven. From there, the Vikings plated their final run in the top of the seventh when Joey Garcia's single to left field was deep enough to score Knapp.
BSC would stage a late-game resurgence, but the Vikings would hold on to clinch the series title.
Cole Porter pitched a scoreless inning of relief, allowing only one hit.
Berry will be back in action this Tuesday against the Scots of Covenant College at Mount Berry, Georgia. The first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
