The Emory University Baseball team ran its win-streak to eight consecutive games Friday night as the Eagles handled Huntingdon College, 12-7, in the opening game of the three-game series in Montgomery, AL.
With the victory, Emory climbed to 8-0 on the season becoming just the second club in program history to begin a campaign 8-0 or better, joining the 2004 unit which began the year 26-0.
Following a 13-run outburst their last time out, the Eagles offense continued their torrid pace at the plate with another double-digit effort, plating 12 runs on 12 hits. Eight different Emory hitters notched at least one base hit with seven batters driving in at least one run.
Seniors Jeff Ronpirin, Brian Hernandez and juniors Bubby Terp and Nick Chambers combined to drive in nine of the 12 Eagle runs on the night. Ronpirin tallied a career-high three RBI, going 2-for-5 with a double. Hernandez went 3-for-4, falling just a home run short of the cycle, to go along with two runs driven in. Terp and Chambers each drove in a pair of runs as well as combining for three base hits.
Senior Jackson Weeg twirled six innings on the mound, giving up two runs (1 ER) on four hits and three walks to go along with six strikeouts as a follow up to his school record 18-strikeout performance last Saturday. Weeg, with the win, improved to 2-0 on the year and moved into a tie for sixth place all-time on the Emory career wins list with 25 victories.
Trailing 1-0 in the top of the third, the Eagles batted around, sending 11 men to the plate to gain a 6-1 lead they would not relinquish. After loading the bases with no one out, Emory plated six straight runs, playing station-to-station ball. Senior Wilson Morgan began the stretch with a hit-by-pitch to force in sophomore Thomas Baumgartner. Ronpirin, Hernandez and Terp all followed with one-run singles. Huntingdon had another HBP with the bags packed, this time plunking senior Philip Maldari to push home Ronpirin. Chambers had the Eagles' sixth consecutive RBI as he scored Hernandez with a groundout to third.
The Hawks cut it to 6-2 with an unearned run in the bottom half of the inning and looked to add more in the fourth inning but Weeg left the bases loaded to maintain the four-run cushion.
The Eagles answered the HC threat with six more runs between the fifth and seventh innings to push their lead to 12-2. Terp and Chambers collected run-scoring singles in the fifth with Hernandez driving in Morgan with a double to right center in the sixth. In the seventh inning, senior Chris Young reached on an infield single to third to bring home Chambers before Ronpirin plated Baumgartner and sophomore David Draper with his own double to right center.
Huntingdon cut the deficit to seven with three runs off junior Rhett Stuart in the seventh inning. The Hawks tacked on two more runs (both unearned) in the ninth off sophomore Charlie Redovian with two outs in the inning. However, Redovian escaped further damage by striking out Joseph Calvert looking with runners on first and second to end the ball game.
The two ball clubs continue their three-game series tomorrow with the middle game of the series. First pitch from Montgomery is scheduled for 2:00 PM eastern time.