The Skyliner

Issue date: 4/9/08 Section: Sports

Chase Gratz
Staff Writer


The Crusader baseball team's losing streak reached six games last week as they were swept in doubleheaders by Tusculum College and Lincoln Memorial University.

NGU faced off against Tusculum in a doubleheader on April 1. The Pioneers took the first game 3-1 and hammered the Crusaders 14-3 in the second game.

North Greenville's Grant Kelley, freshman sport management, smashed a home run over the left field wall in the second inning to score the first run of the game.

The Pioneers' Carlos Rivera scored and tied the game in the third inning. Rivera would also help the Pioneers gain the lead later in the game by hitting a single that would drive in Aaron Hudgins and Eric Barclay. North Greenville would only get one hit after the long ball by Kelley and fell 3-1.

In game two, Tusculum College jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two innings. The game was then delayed for close to an hour due to rain.

When the game resumed, North Greenville scored two runs in the top of the fourth inning, but the Pioneers would respond to the Crusaders' runs with three runs of their own, bringing the score to 8-2.

Curt Marshall, senior elementary education, helped plate a runner in the top of the fifth with his 12th double of the season. North Greenville would not be able to keep up with Tusculum, as they would score six runs throughout the remaining innings.

The Crusaders were defeated 14-3 in the second game of the doubleheader. Daniel Goodnight (0-6), freshman sport management, gave up eight runs in 3 1/3 innings in the losing effort.

Tusculum's Rivera played an exceptional two games. He went 6-for-7 hitting with eight RBI. Rivera was 3-for-3 with a pair of triples and a double and had five RBI in the first game and tied the school record with two triples, his fourth and fifth of the season.

North Greenville played Lincoln Memorial University in a doubleheader on April 2. The Crusaders lost the first game of the series 14-4 and would also fall to the Railsplitters 14-8 in the second game. The loss dropped NGU's record to 4-31-1.

The Crusaders were scheduled to play Coker College on April 5, but the game was postponed due to inclement weather.

North Greenville's next game is scheduled to be a doubleheader against Southern Wesleyan University on April 9.

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