The Bulldogs, ranked 11th in the NAIA preseson poll, committed seven errors, leading to eight unearned runs in Saturday's 12-2 loss to the 23rd-ranked Senators.
Wesleyan scored a run in the top of the first, but the Senators answered with two in the bottom of the inning off Wesleyan starter Troy Graybill. The scored remained the same until the bottom of the fourth when AUM added two more runs. The Senators then had seven hits and took advantage of the porous Wesleyan defense to add eight runs off Justin Crowell over two innings. Wesleyan had six hits, one each from Ryan Santos, Jonathan Smith, Cody Gaskill, Rafael Carlot, Brad Pippa and C.J. McElroy. Santos and Gaskill accounted for the RBIs. Graybill went four innings, allowing four runs (two earned), giving up five hits with five strikeouts and two walks. Crowell allowed eight runs (only two earned) over two innings on seven hits, two walks and had two strikeouts
Wesleyan bounced back with a solid effort Sunday, but the bullpen couldn't hold the lead as AUM rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth for a 5-4 win. Gaskill's sacrifice fly gave TWC a 1-0 lead in the first. Tied at one, both teams scored in the fifth with David Lindsay's double leading to the 'Dogs' run. Smith's RBI single and a squeeze bunt by Gaskill put TWC up 4-2 in the seventh. AUM got one run back in the bottom of the inning and plated two runs on three hits off reliever Jason Ferguson in the ninth after two were out. Freddy Lewis went 4 2/3 innings, allowing two runs (none earned) on four hits and struck out six. Daniel Wood tossed 2 1/3 innings on one-hit relief and Matt McCracken one inning. Santos had three hits with two runs scored; Smith a hit with an RBI; Gaskill a hit with two RBIs and Lindsay two hits.
"I thought we did a lot of good things - executed at the plate, ran the bases well, manufactured some runs and got a couple of good starts from our pitchers," said TWC Coach Billy Berry. "We just struggled to find a big hit when we needed it and the defense was disappointing because I thought we would be better than that - and I still believe we will be."
