JACKSON, Tenn. - The Lane College baseball team secured a series win over Morehouse with a dominant 15-2 victory followed by an 11-5 win in the series finale at Rockabillies Stadium this weekend.
Lane jumped out to a commanding 5-0 lead in the first inning, thanks to a series of walks and timely hits. Casey Lockwood, Jaden Garcia, and Michael O'Neill all drove in runs with walks and a hit-by-pitch. Cason Blunt then delivered a two-RBI single to extend the lead. The second inning saw more offensive fireworks as Gabriel Garza, with a single, and Jaden Garcia, with a double, added more runs, giving Lane a commanding 8-0 lead.
Morehouse attempted a comeback in the fourth when they delivered a two-RBI single to cut the deficit to 9-2. However, Lane responded swiftly with three more runs in the bottom of the fourth, including an RBI single from Garcia and a sacrifice groundout from Trey Babbitt, making it 12-2.
Lane kept the pressure on in the fifth, with Blunt and Babbitt each contributing RBIs to push the lead to 15-2, where it would stay for the remainder of the game.
Savian Loor (W, 1-2) was in control for Lane, tossing a complete 7.0 innings and allowing only 2 runs on 6 hits while striking out 5. In contrast, Morehouse struggled to contain Lane's offense as four pitchers saw action on the mound. C. Solomon (L, 1-1) took the loss for Morehouse after pitching just 0.2 innings, surrendering 5 runs (all earned).
For Lane, Garcia had a standout performance, driving in 4 RBIs, while Babbitt and Blunt each contributed 3 RBIs. The team showed patience at the plate, drawing 9 walks and capitalizing on Morehouse's mistakes.
The series finale started with a bang in the first inning as Lane jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead. Saul Gonzalez led off with a solo home run to right field, and then Gabriel Garza scored on a sacrifice fly by Eli Garcia. The offensive surge continued in the second inning, where Lane tacked on four more runs. A series of walks, errors, and timely hits helped push Lane's lead to 6-0. The inning saw Garza, Nick Deterding, and Garcia all driving in runs, the latter two scoring unearned runs due to errors from Morehouse.
Morehouse responded in the third with a sacrifice fly that brought home a run, cutting the deficit to 6-1. However, Lane continued to extend their lead, with a RBI bunt single from Blunt and a sacrifice fly from Traeshan Hall, pushing the score to 8-1 after three innings.
In the fifth, Morehouse mounted a brief rally with a RBI double and then two balks from Lane pitchers allowed two more runs to score, making it 8-4. A single to center to drive in another run, bringing the score to 8-5. Unfortunately for Morehouse, that would be the extent of their scoring as Lane responded with three more runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Garza's walk, followed by errors and a walk from Garcia, allowed Lane to build a commanding 11-5 lead.
Lane's pitching was solid throughout the game. Starter Ryan Kinney (W, 1-2) earned the victory, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 5 hits in 4.2 innings, with 7 strikeouts. He was followed by Anderson Jorge, who tossed 4.1 innings of relief, allowing just 1 run on 2 hits and striking out 2.
Lane's 11-5 victory improves their record to 5-11, while Morehouse falls to 8-7 on the season.