COLUMBIA, SC | Morehouse showed fight all weekend in Columbia, scoring first in all three games and putting together multiple early offensive bursts, but Benedict answered each time and completed the SIAC sweep. The Maroon Tigers dropped the opener 9-8, fell 19-3 in the second game, and were turned back 16-8 in Sunday's finale. Across the series, Morehouse finished with 19 runs on 25 hits, but Benedict countered with 44 runs on 36 hits.

Scoring Summary

Game 1 – Benedict 9, Morehouse 8

Morehouse looked like it had grabbed control early. TJ Whiteman set the tone with a two-run homer in the first, then added a sacrifice fly in the second before Tripp Braswell drove in another run in the third as the Maroon Tigers built a 4-1 lead and later carried a 4-3 edge into the middle innings. Benedict answered with two runs in the sixth and four more in the eighth to build breathing room, but Morehouse nearly stole it back in the ninth. Braswell opened the rally with an RBI single, Robert Robinson Jr. lifted a sacrifice fly, Elijah Pinckney ripped an RBI double, and Whiteman added another sac fly before the tying run was left at third to end it.

Game 2 – Benedict 19, Morehouse 3

The Maroon Tigers again struck first, scoring twice in the opening inning on Whiteman's RBI single and a Pinckney sacrifice bunt, then added a third run in the second on Satchel Hamilton's sacrifice bunt for a 3-1 lead. That was the high point. Benedict flipped the game with an eight-run third, then kept pressure on by scoring four in the fourth, three in the fifth, and three in the sixth. Morehouse had six hits in the game, with Braswell posting a two-hit afternoon that included a triple, but the Tigers' big middle innings broke this one open quickly.

Game 3 – Benedict 16, Morehouse 8

Sunday's finale followed a familiar script early. Morehouse went in front 1-0 in the first, pushed three more across in the second, and later stretched the lead to 7-4 through five innings. Caleb Harley's bunt reached on an error and brought home two runs in the second, Pinckney added an RBI walk, Myles Tucker scored on a wild pitch in the fourth, and Robinson Jr. delivered an RBI single in the fifth. Benedict, though, swung the game in the back half. The Tigers tied it with three in the fifth, took the lead with three in the sixth on a Jaquez Akins three-run homer, then blew it open with a six-run seventh highlighted by Kent Johnson's grand slam. Morehouse got one back in the seventh on Tucker's RBI single, but couldn't slow the late surge.

Key Moments

• Whiteman's first-inning two-run homer gave Morehouse immediate juice in the opener, but Benedict's four-run eighth forced the Maroon Tigers to chase late.
• In game two, Morehouse led 3-1 after two innings before Benedict's eight-run third completely changed the afternoon.
• In game three, Morehouse carried a 7-4 lead into the bottom of the fifth, but Benedict closed by scoring 12 of the game's final 13 runs.

Team Statistical Comparison

• Runs: Benedict 44, Morehouse 19.
• Hits: Benedict 36, Morehouse 25.
• Walks drawn: Benedict 34, Morehouse 19.
• Extra-base hits: Benedict 13, Morehouse 6.
• Stolen bases: Benedict 14, Morehouse 5.
• Errors: Benedict 6, Morehouse 5.

Morehouse Leaders

• Tripp Braswell: 7-for-13, 4 runs scored, 2 RBI, 1 double, 1 triple.
• Robert Robinson Jr.: 5-for-9, 3 runs, 2 RBI, 5 walks.
• TJ Whiteman: 5 RBI in the series, highlighted by a home run in game one.
• Elijah Pinckney: 3 RBI, 4 walks, 2 doubles, 2 stolen bases.
• Myles Tucker: 3-for-12, 2 runs, 1 RBI.
• Vernon Clay: Longest Morehouse outing of the weekend at 4.0 innings in the finale.
• Cam Simmons: Staff-high 5 strikeouts in game two.

Up Next

Morehouse travels to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to face the Stillman Tigers in a non-conference mid-week doubleheader on March 31. For up-to-date athletic information on the Maroon Tigers, follow them on social media or online at www.morehouseathletics.com.