MOUNT BERRY, Ga. - The Vikings began their three-game series against the Sewanee Tigers on Saturday at home. The matchup was fierce, leaving each team with a victory heading into Sunday.
GAME ONE (Sewanee 6, Berry 5)
The first contest against the Tigers opened with a strong offensive start for Sewanee, including a series of sharp hits. The strong start warranted an early 1-0 lead on the Vikings, calling for a daring response to the quick lead. As the 1st inning rounded out, the Vikings answered back with singles from Chaz Moore and Austin Jetmore, setting the tone for a close matchup. The Vikings then built upon this momentum with 3 consecutive outs entering the 2nd inning behind the arm of starting pitcher Cam Welsh.
Through the bottom of the 2nd inning, the Vikings offense "balanced the books" 1-1 with a line drive from senior Chase Edmonds, sending Ethan Fitch to home plate. The following inning saw a homer from Sewanee, applying constant pressure to the Vikings on their homefield.
Entering the 4th, energy at the ballpark was tense with neither side making any significant action toward runs. This was due to the tremendous efforts of Cam Walsh, leaving zero room for the Tigers to rule out on the Vikings turf. It wasn't until the latter half of the 6th inning that the game really started to shake up.
The 6th inning saw hits from brothers Chase and Chance Edmonds, ushering in the Vikings first lead-change of the weekend 3-2. This wasn't the case for long, however. The 7th inning included a tough ground ball from the Tigers, tying the ball game 3-3. Pitcher Brady Greene responded to the Tigers' pressure by throwing 2 strikeouts to enter the bottom 8th.
Going into the 9th inning, the ballpark was on its toes, knowing the game could swing either way. The Tigers blew up during this period, scoring three runs off of a home run that hit the scoreboard! Bewildered, the Vikings rallied the troops and put forth their best efforts to combat this difficult contest.
Riley Uhls then stepped up to the Vikings home box, cool as a cucumber. In the blink of an eye, Uhls smacked the Tiger's pitch into the clouds, making the matchup a 4-6 ball game with a home run. Upon the crowd's hype, Chase Edmonds hit a precision ground ball, scoring 5-6. With all these efforts, Sewanee still ended up with the W, but left the Viking offense with something to prove in game two.
GAME TWO (Berry 13, Sewanee 3)
Entering game two, the momentum stuck with the Vikings along with the hope that they could crush the Tigers once and for all. The game started with a historic first inning, with the Vikings scoring 10 runs with the likes of Riley Uhls, Charles Polaski, Chase Edmonds, Jacob Bridges, and Ethan Finch. Dumbfounded, the Tigers seemed to lose some of their momentum from game one.
The second period saw great pitches from freshman JohnMark Christopher, along with a great single from Chase and an out from Chance Edmonds. The score was now 11-1, with the energy in the crowd rallying behind their beloved Vikings. The 3rd inning included Christopher's first strikeout of the matchup, making a comeback tough for the Tigers.
Throughout the 3rd and 4th, the home crowd saw valiant efforts from the Vikings to keep their staggering lead, while hitting at a consistent level is well. The lead seemed to be plateauing, until the Tigers scored a two-run homer entering the 7th inning. This was apparently "no sweat" for the Vikings, due to sophomore Jackson Warren scoring a single and pitching error on the Tigers end, extending the lead 13-3.
Just like that, the Vikings "weathered the storm" in impressive fashion. With the game two victory under their belts, the Vikings plan to end the series on Sunday at home.
