PEMBROKE – Newcomer C.J. White's sacrifice fly with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning plated Drew Beaver with the game-winning score as the UNC Pembroke baseball team survived a scare from Pfeiffer on Wednesday afternoon with a 4-3 comeback win over the Falcons.
Nick Debo (2-for-5) drove in a run and scored once for the Braves (6-0) who have now won nine-straight games in the series with the Falcons (1-6). Nolan Pierce singled twice on three trips to the plate for the hosts as well.
Jordan Eckard plated a pair of runs on a 2-for-3 outing for Pfeiffer, while Anthony Allende finished with a 2-for-4 hitting line.
Nine pitchers saw action for the Black & Gold, but it was Alex Britt (1-0) who picked up the win after surrendering just one hit in a scoreless ninth inning. Trace Hagler, Matt Fuhr, Henry Simpson, Justin White and Kyle Ramsey all worked a hitless inning of relief for UNCP as well. Hunter Jobe (0-1) saddled the loss for Pfeiffer after juicing the bases in the final frame and allowing C.J. White's dramatics as well.
Eckard's RBI single with two outs in the second helped the visitors light up the scoreboard first, but UNCP got RBI knocks from Debo and Justin Dattilo in the fifth to storm ahead. The Falcons scored twice in the eighth to put the Black & Gold on its heels, but the Braves took advantage of a leadoff double by Hayden Buffkin in the bottom of the frame, as well as an ill-timed error by the Falcons, to plate the tying run.
Beaver walked to lead off the bottom of the ninth, and was then moved into scoring position via a sacrifice bunt from Dattilo. Christian Snider singled to put runners at the corners, but Jobe beaned Buffkin on an 0-and-2 offering to load the bases.
UNCP will continue a season-opening 15-game homestand this weekend when it opens Peach Belt Conference play with a three-game series against Montevallo (5-3, 0-0 PBC). The squads will open up the weekend with a single dip on Friday at 3 p.m., and close out the set with a 2 p.m. tilt on Saturday and a noon contest on Sunday.
