March 12, 2009

MARS HILL, N.C. - The Lions' baseball team scored nine runs through the first three innings and 15 runs in another three consecutive innings in a 24-3 victory over Ohio Valley Thursday afternoon at Henderson Field. The Lions improve to 12-14. The Fighting Scots fall to 3-12 on the season.

Leading 1-0, Mars Hill broke open the game with five runs in the bottom of the second inning. Devin Presnell (Boone, N.C.) singled up the middle, scoring Dalton Hardee (Boone, N.C.). In the next at-bat, Mike Kitt (West Islip, N.Y.) tripled to right center field, plating Presnell and Mike Dobre (Pompano Beach, Fla.) to make the score 4-0 in favor of the Lions. Kitt and Brian Williams (Orlando, Fla.) both scored on throwing errors to cap the scoring in the inning and give Mars Hill a 6-0 advantage.

Leading 9-0, the Lions added another five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. A Dobre two-run shot to left field and a Williams three-run homer made the score 14-0 in favor of Mars Hill.

Ben Hunt (Kernersville, N.C.) and Presnell hit back-to-back solo homeruns to highlight a stretch where Mars Hill recorded 10 additional total runs in the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings to make the score 24-0.

Ohio Valley got on the board in the top of the eighth inning when Jake Kight (Adamsville, Ohio) singled to center field, scoring Ryan Barber (Brampton, Ontario, Canada) on the play. Later in the inning, Cory McCune (Athens, Ohio) singled up the middle and brought home Shayne Miller (Zanesville, Ohio) and Kyle Fleak (West Chester, Pa.).

Williams was 2-4 with five RBI for Mars Hill. Presnell was a perfect 6-6 from the plate with four RBI and five runs scored. Dobre batted 4-5 with three RBI and four runs scored. Kitt, Hardee, Curtis Bagwell (Simpsonville, S.C.) and Kris Torrence (P. Jefferson Station, N.Y.) each had two RBI.

Chad Jarvis (Clemmons, N.C.), now 1-1, earned the win for Mars Hill. He pitched five innings and allowed no runs on three hits while striking out five batters.

Kyle York (Villa Hills, Ky.), now 1-3, dropped the decision for Ohio Valley. He lasted only 2.1 innings and gave up nine runs on 12 hits.

Mars Hill will host Catawba this Saturday and Sunday for a three-game series. A doubleheader on Saturday is set to begin at noon.

Boxscore...

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