ATLANTA – A back and forth game on Saturday saw the Emory Eagles hold on for a 5-4 win over Southwestern University in non-conference college baseball action at Chappell Park.
Southwestern fell to 10-25 with the loss as Emory improved to 23-9 on the year. The loss was the ninth one-run defeat for the Pirates this season in one of the toughest NCAA III schedules in the nation.
Charlie St. Clair helped the Pirates jump out to an early 1-0 lead as he pushed a ground ball to the right side of the infield to score Ben Little. Little led off the inning with a singles as he finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
The Eagles would scratch back in the bottom of the fourth inning to tie the game but the Pirates would regain the lead again in the fifth.
Colten Shea also finished 2-for-4 on the afternoon as he singled home Little.
However, Emory battled back against the Pirate bullpen to add three runs in the seventh to take a 4-2 lead.
Southwestern would mount a rally in the eighth as Tyler Herriage started the inning with a double down the left field line. After Shea singled, Zach Lynch walked to load the bases for Will Cates.
Cates belted a single into left field scoring both Shea and Herriage to pull within one run. However an inning ending double play thwarted the Pirate scoring threat in the eighth leaving a pair on base.
Pirate starter Jacob Kendra pitched solid for five innings as he scattered four hits and allowed just one run. Carl Mueller and Nino Tutino entered in the sixth for Kendra as both had been solid the last few weeks but uncharacteristically struggled on Saturday.
Mueller was tagged with three runs and two earned, however it was three walks that handed Tutino his first loss of the season and allowed the go-ahead run.
Southwestern and Emory close out their series on Sunday at Chappell Park with a first pitch scheduled for 11 a.m.