ATLANTA, GA | Morehouse dropped an early blow, absorbed a massive fifth-inning surge from Morris, lost the lead again in the eighth, and still had the final answer Tuesday afternoon. The Maroon Tigers opened fast, then showed real toughness late, scoring eight runs in the seventh and five more in the eighth to pull out a 19-16 non-conference win in a wild back-and-forth contest in Atlanta.
Scoring Summary
Morehouse struck first in the bottom of the first and wasted little time doing it. After Elijah James was hit by a pitch and moved into scoring position, Raymond Jenkins lined an RBI double to left-center to bring home the first run. Two batters later, Mariano McLean lifted a two-run homer to right, giving the Maroon Tigers a 3-0 lead.
The game stayed there until the fifth, when Morris flipped everything with a nine-run inning to take a 9-3 lead. The visitors stacked together walks and extra-base hits, then kept the line moving with RBI doubles from Da'Veon Varner, Jabari Thompson, Daniel Powell and Maurice Fletcher. Morris added another run in the seventh on a Dylan Levy solo homer and then erupted for six more in the eighth, capped by Levy's four-run blast, to briefly reclaim a 16-14 advantage.
But Morehouse never stopped swinging back. In the bottom of the fifth, PrinceZion Odom cut into the deficit in one swing, blasting a three-run homer to right to pull the Maroon Tigers within 9-6. The decisive momentum shift came in the seventh. James Wyllie tripled to start the inning, Caleb Harley followed with an RBI single, Josiah Smith added a sacrifice bunt RBI, Elijah Pinckney ripped a two-run double, and Tripp Braswell launched a two-run homer to center. Later in the inning, Wyllie and Calvin Butts each drove in runs as Morehouse piled up eight runs and moved back in front, 14-10.
When Morris answered with six in the top of the eighth, Morehouse delivered one last counterpunch. Odom opened the frame with a single, Pinckney drove in a run with a base hit, Myles Tucker followed with a single, Parker Moore reached on an error that brought home two runs, Andrew Rhoden added an RBI single, and Butts lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score the eventual winning run. Mason Sly then worked out of ninth-inning traffic with three strikeouts over the final 1.1 innings to secure the win.
Key Moments
Morehouse's response innings were the story. Odom's three-run homer in the fifth kept the Maroon Tigers from letting the game get away, and the bottom of the seventh completely changed the afternoon. Pinckney's two-run double and Braswell's two-run homer gave Morehouse life, but the Maroon Tigers still had to answer once more after Morris surged back ahead in the eighth. They did exactly that with a five-run bottom half fueled by aggressive baserunning, timely hitting, and pressure on Morris' defense.
Team Comparison
- Hits: Morehouse 16, Morris 16.
- Errors: Morris 2, Morehouse 3.
- Walks/HBP drawn: Morehouse drew 6 walks and 5 hit-by-pitches; Morris drew 14 walks and 1 hit-by-pitch.
- Extra-base hits: Morehouse had 8 (3 home runs, 4 doubles, 1 triple); Morris had 8 (2 home runs, 6 doubles).
- Stolen bases: Morehouse 7, Morris 1.
Morehouse Leaders
- Caleb Harley: 3-for-4, 1 RBI, 2 runs scored, 1 stolen base.
- PrinceZion Odom: 2-for-2, home run, 3 RBI, 3 runs scored, 1 walk, 1 hit-by-pitch, 1 stolen base.
- Elijah Pinckney: 2-for-2, double, 3 RBI, 2 runs scored.
- Tripp Braswell: 2-for-5, home run, 2 RBI.
- James Wyllie: 2-for-4, triple, double, 1 RBI, 2 runs scored, 1 stolen base.
- Calvin Butts: 1-for-1, double, 2 RBI, 2 runs scored, 1 walk, 1 hit-by-pitch.
- Mason Sly: 1.1 innings pitched, 1 hit allowed, 3 strikeouts, winning pitcher.
Up Next
Morehouse concludes the regular season this weekend with a three-game SIAC conference series at Kentucky State in Frankfort, Ky. The Maroon Tigers will play a doubleheader on Friday before closing the series with a single game on Saturday. For up-to-date athletic information on the Maroon Tigers, follow them on social media or online at www.morehouseathletics.com.
