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Box Score 2 PEMBROKE – Home-standing UNCP erupted for six runs in the bottom of the first inning behind freshman Jordan DeLoatch's fourth quality start of the season to clinch its weekend series with visiting Flagler on a 9-3 win over the Saints on Sunday evening at Sammy Cox Field.
The victory helped extend the Peach Belt Conference winning streak for the Braves (20-10, 9-7 PBC) out to five games, while also handing the Black & Gold its third league series victory of the season. Flagler (18-10, 9-5), who entered the day atop the PBC East Division, fell all the way back to third place with the loss.
Josh Haley homered for the first time this season to highlight a 4-for-5 night at the plate for the Braves, who also got a home run and a trio of RBI from fellow senior Brad Bridgeman (2-for-4). John Sgromolo scored twice on a 3-for-4 outing for Flagler, while three other players posting a pair of hits for the Saints as well.
DeLoatch (4-0) struck out five and surrendered three runs (two earned) in seven innings of work to stay unbeaten in his rookie campaign, while Brantley Hattrich and Braxton Lewis each pitched a scoreless inning for UNCP. Jonathan Armold (5-2) suffered his first loss in more than a month after yielding seven earned runs on eight hits in just four innings from the hill. He also struck out five.
Dalton Knight gave UNCP its first two runs of the game with a two-run single in the bottom of the first, but the Braves struck for four more runs in the frame, including three on Bridgeman's blast to left field, to take a 6-0 lead into the second.
The Saints finally scratched the scoreboard on Charlie Stewart's RBI single in the second, but the Braves answered the score with a two-out solo homer in the fourth by Haley. The visitors would plate a pair of runs on a pair of hits and an ill-timed fielding error by UNCP in the sixth, but the Black & Gold plated lone insurance runs in each of the seventh and eighth innings to provide the final.
The Braves and Flagler will close out their three-game series with a 1 p.m. contest on Monday in Pembroke.
