![Emory Baseball Falls to D-II North Georgia, 11-7](/sports/bsb/2010-11/photos/Riebsame.jpg?max_width=450)
The Emory University baseball team took a two-run lead on two
occasions against NCAA Division II North Georgia College and State
University, but ultimately could not hold onto the lead, falling
11-7 to Saints in Dahlonega, GA on Tuesday night.
The loss was the third straight for the Eagles, who fell
to 25-15 on the season with the loss. The Saints improved to
26-16 with the victory.
After the first two Eagles were retired in the top of the first
inning, Jonathan Reilly kept the inning alive with
a single through the left side of the infield, and Patrick
Riebsame followed with his team-leading eighth home run of
the season to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead.
The eight home runs this season for Riebsame are the most by an
Eagle since the 2002 season, when Kyle Foster notched eight home
runs of his own. The senior is now tied for the fifth-most
home runs in a single season in the program’s history, and
his 13 career home runs during his two seasons with the team tie
him for the sixth-most in school history.
North Georgia wasted little time responding, scoring two runs off
Emory starter Paul Schwendel in the bottom of the
first on an RBI fielder’s choice and a run-scoring single,
but Schwendel would get a strikeout with the bases loaded to end
the Saints’ threat in the frame.
After the Eagles left the bases loaded in the top of the second,
the Saints took the lead with a double from Derek Hooper and an RBI
single from Troy Snitker. In the third, Chad Sage added a
solo home run to put North Georgia on top 4-2.
In the top of the fifth, the Eagles would get back on top with some
timely hits and good base running. Ryan
Jones led the inning off with a single, advancing to
second on a sacrifice bunt from Brandon
Hannon. After Reilly was hit by a pitch and Riebsame
was walked to load the bases. Junior Kevin
O’Connor followed with a sacrifice fly to score
Jones from third, and then a double from Cohn brought Reilly home
to tie the game. The next batter, Daniel
Iturrey, hit a ground ball to shortstop that should have
ending the inning, but a costly error from Alan Fredricksson scored
Riebsame and Cohn, giving the Eagles a 6-4 lead.
Once again, the Saints would answer right back in the bottom of the
frame, loading the bases with nobody out. Schwendel struck
out Sage for the first out of the inning, but then walked Brad Hall
and threw a wild pitch to allow the game-tying runs to score.
He worked out of the jam, however, getting the final two outs of
the inning on a strikeout and a ground out to second, ending his
outing with the score tied at 6-6.
North Georgia would break the game open in the sixth, scoring five
runs off Emory reliever Connor McGuiness to take
an 11-6 lead over the Eagles. Freshman Alexander
Castaneda would allow two of McGuiness inherited runners
to score, but would not allow an additional runs to score in his
inning and two thirds of work, striking out two batters.
Sophomore Mike Bitanga contributed a scoreless
eighth inning in relief.
Emory would pick up a run in the eighth inning on an RBI single
from Jones that scored Iturrey, but the Eagles went down
one-two-three in the ninth inning to end the game.
Andrew Cohn finished the game two-for-four, and with three games
remaining in the regular season is now two hits shy of 200 for his
career. Jones added a two-hit game as well for Emory.
The Eagles were outhit by the Saints 18-8 in the contest.
With three games remaining in the Eagles’ 2011 regular
season, the team will now turn its attention towards a key weekend
series at Chappell Park against regional opponent Methodist
University, with games at 3:00 PM on Friday and 1:00 PM on
Saturday.