PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke baseball team registered four doubles and a pair of home runs to support a phenomenal debut by right-hander Anthony Burke as the Braves powered past defending Mountain East Conference champion Shepherd, 12-1, in the season opener for both teams on Friday at Sammy Cox Field.
 
The result helped the Black & Gold (1-0) improve to 16-1 in season openers under head coach Paul O'Neil who needs just three more wins this season to reach 600 for his career. The setback marked the second-straight season-opening loss for the Rams (0-1).
 
Nick Debo doubled three times and drove in a pair of runs to lead the way for the hosts who also got a 3-for-5 outing from Roberto Rivera. Drew Beaver (2-for-4, 2 RBI) and redshirt freshman Seth Hartings (1-for-4, SF, 4 RBI) both homered for UNCP as well.
 
Chase Hoffman (2-for-4) and Brent Doyle (2-for-3) both tallied a pair of hits for the visitors. Doyle also scored the lone run Shepherd on a balk in the sixth.
 
Burke (1-0) struck out five and scattered four hits over a solid six innings of work to grab his first collegiate victory, while fellow newcomer Cole Lovin threw three shutout innings to log the save. Joe Rindone (0-1) took the loss for the Rams after surrendering eight runs (six earned) on seven hits and four walks in 4-1/3 innings of work. He also struck out four.
 
Debo doubled in a pair of runs to finish off a 4-run first for the Black & Gold and that would turn out to be the only offense for either team through the first 4-1/2 innings. Hartings padded the lead out to 7-0 with a 3-run homer in the sixth, and Beaver would push the advantage out to nine runs with a 2-run bomb four batters later.
 
Burke, who spent last season as a reliever at the College of Charleston, did not surrender a hit until Doyle's 2-out single in the third and faced just two batters over the minimum through five innings of work.
 
The teams will resume their weekend series on Saturday at Sammy Cox Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.