PEMBROKE — The 11th-ranked UNC Pembroke baseball team allowed just two hits, while Joey Rezek provided the big blast in the sixth inning with a 2-run bomb to right center, as the Braves grinded past Wingate 5-1 in baseball action Tuesday night at Sammy Cox Field.
Will Harris kept the Wingate bats at bay through four innings, allowing just one run, before HL Smith, Luke Barrow, Spencer Ledford, and Jake Smith combined to go the final five innings, allowing just one hit to go along with eight strikeouts.
The Braves (18-5) improved to 52-36 all-time against the Bulldogs (14-8), and have now won 15 of the last 20 matchups in the series.
UNCP’s Blake Hinson got aboard in the first inning on a one-out single, stole second, and would score the game’s first run on Kody O’Connor’s RBI single.
Brett Adams walked and moved to third on Breon Ishmael’s single in the top of the second inning, and would come around to score on a wild pitch to make it 1-1.
In the sixth, Spencer Faulkner worked a leadoff walk, and would trot home on a pinch-hit two-run home run from Joey Rezek. After Andrew Jenner walked and stole second, Will Hood would single Jenner home to stretch the lead to 5-1.
Hinson and O’Connor each had two hits for UNCP. H.L. Smith (1-0) was the winning pitcher after a hitless, scoreless inning of relief with one strikeout.
Wingate’s Chad Harvey (1-2) took the loss.
The Black & Gold will be back in action Friday as they open a Conference Carolinas series against 2nd-ranked North Greenville. First pitch Friday is set for 6 p.m., with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday to conclude the series.
Braves golf ties for third at Converse Spring Invite
Newcomer Michelle Guerra Landa carded a 14-over-par 86 in the final round of action to hold the UNC Pembroke golf team in in a three-way tie 3rd place at the Converse Spring Invite on Monday at The Carolina Country Club.
A native of Caracas, Venezuela, Guerra Landa finished the tournament in a seven-way tie for 12th place, finished 16 strokes behind Reagan Padilla of Tusculum, who won the individual tournament title. Chessa Lee (19 over par) and Toni Blackwell (19 over) both carded a nine-over-par 81 in the final round and finished in a four-way tie for 19th place, while Emmerson Bartley (24 over) logged a team-best eight-over-par on Tuesday and finished tied for 28th place.
Freshman Melissa Guerra Landa (35 over) finished the two rounds tied for 49th place. Lauren Locklear (39 over), who was playing as an individual, finished in a three-way tie for 53rd place.
The Braves will be back in action on Monday for the Barton Intercollegiate. The two-day tournament will be played at the Wedgewood Public Golf Course in Wilson.
UNCP indoor track & field lands four on USTFCCCA All-Region team
The UNC Pembroke track & field team continued a long-standing tradition for itself when four student-athletes were named to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Indoor All-Southeast Region team.
Tayvon Callahan picked up his second-straight All-Region nod in the 60m hurdles, while Cole Thomas picked up his second All-Region selection in the pole vault after being named to the list following the 2022 season. Delsin Burkhart earned the honors in the 800m run, while freshman Carina Fiorucci took home All-Region honors in the pole vault.
The top five individuals in each event from each region earned all-region honors, in addition to each of the members of the region’s top three relay teams. The regions used for this award include the Atlantic, Central, East, Midwest, South, South Central, Southeast and West.
The announcement marks the ninth-straight season that the Black & Gold has had multiple student-athletes on the distinguished list.
The programs will now turn their attention to the outdoor track & field season, which kicks off Thursday, March 14. Both squads will head to Myrtle Beach, S.C. for the three-day Alan Connie Shamrock Invitational hosted at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium.
