NEWBERRY, S.C. – The West Alabama baseball team fell in both games of a double-header on Saturday to Newberry College. Newberry claimed game one 15-1 and game two 12-4.

“We just didn’t come ready to play today,” said UWA head coach Gary Rundles.

“We played from behind all day and you can’t play like that. You have to play with confidence. We made a lot of mistakes defensively. A lot of our mistakes aren’t what show up in the scorebooks. They come from just not being in the right place at the right time. Our mistakes forced our pitchers be out there longer than they should’ve been and it forced our pitcher’s to pitch in situations they shouldn’t have to pitch in.”

“Offensively we have some guys who still need to work on their timing. We had about the same amount of at-bats as Newberry we just didn’t capitalize like they did. We just have to work hard now to turn that around.”

Two losses on the day drops West Alabama to a 0-3 start to begin the season, while Newberry improves to 3-0.

Newberry’s Albert Baur totaled 4 runs in game one of the double header, while Jonathan Rosenberger tallied five strikeouts. Josh Podoris picked up the only run in game one for the Tigers.

In game two the Wolves were led at the plate by Eric Barbieri who finished with a three run homerun in the bottom of the fifth. Brett Langham picked up two runs in game two for the Tigers.

The Tigers trailed the Wolves for the entirety of both games, but did battle back within one run in the top of the third inning of game two before falling behind eight runs.

“A win tomorrow will be big,” said Rundles. “It will give us confidence and will prove to our guys that they can win. We will get better and we will make the necessary changes to do so.”

Game One: Newberry 15 – West Alabama 1

UWA used six different pitchers in game two of the series. Starting pitcher Nick Bolleter pitched two innings allowing nine runs on ten hits. Neal Lambert and Drew Wilson each pitched an inning without allowing a run.

Podoris recorded the only run for the Tigers; his second in the series. Jack Cockrum picked up his first RBI of the season and led his team in hits with two.

West Alabama had the bats swinging early with hits by Brett Lanham and Jocobby Robinson in the top of the first inning, but a double play by Newberry prevented any Tiger runs.

Bolleter opened the bottom of the inning with a strikeout against Newberry leadoff hitter Anthony Siler. He then gave up two hits to Ryan Cranmer and Eric Barbieri that put Newberry on the board with a 1-0 lead.

Bolleter gave up seven runs in the bottom of the second inning on six hits, and a walk to put Newberry up 8-0. He went on to give up two more hits in the bottom of the third inning before being replaced by left handed pitcher Zach Parks.

With runners on second and third Parks gave up a sacrifice fly to Anthony Siler to centerfield that built the Newberry lead to 9-0.

Newberry continued to swing away at the plate in the bottom of the fourth. The Wolves put up four more runs on four hits to lead 13-0.

Left handed pitcher Luke Macdonald entered in the bottom of the fifth inning to replace Zach Parks. Macdonald’s first batter, Albert Baur tripled to centerfield. Baur later scored on a sacrifice fly by pitch hitter JoJo Bradley to put the Wolves up 14-0.

West Alabama made another pitching change in the seventh inning with Neal Lambert replacing Macdonald. Lambert held the Wolves to no hits or runs for the first time in an inning for the day.

The Tigers finally made it on the board in the top of the seventh when Cockrum struck a sacrifice fly ball to send Podoris to the plate. The score still left the Tigers trailing 14-1.

Newberry responded with another run against newly entered Tiger pitcher Logan Colvin in the bottom of the inning to maintain a 15-1 lead.

Colvin was replaced by Drew Wilson to enter the eighth. Colvin held the Wolves scoreless in the inning, but the Wolves would claim the final 15-1 victory in game two.

Game Two: Newberry 12 – West Alabama 4

Barbieri led the Wolves in batting in game two with three runs and three RBI. Newberry pitcher Will Robbins replaced Wesley Camp in the fourth inning to total three strikeouts and only allowed three hits.

Mitch Holgate led the Tiger’s at the plate with one run, two hits and an RBI. UWA pitcher’s Steven Glasgow and Matt Betts split the time on the mound totaling two strikeouts each.

Newberry jumped to another early lead in game three. The Wolves capitalized on two hits and a Tiger error to jump to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.

Kyle Caldwell picked up his first RBI of the season sending home Holgate to put West Alabama on the board still trailing 2-1 in the second inning. For Holgate it marks his first run of the season.

Glasgow picked up his first strikeout against Matt Gaine in the bottom of the inning. However Newberry’s Bradley picked up an RBI on a triple to right field and would score on a throwing error by Langham rounding third to put the Wolves up 4-1.

Holgate picked up his first RBI in the top of the third inning, sending Langham home. Later in the inning Robinson was hit by a pitch from Camp with the bases loaded to send Podoris home, cutting the Newberry lead down to 4-3.

The Newberry bats continued to swing in the bottom of the third adding four more runs on a West Alabama error giving them an 8-3 lead.

West Alabama answered back with another Langham run in the top of the fourth inning.

Right handed pitcher Matt Betts entered the bottom of the fifth inning to replace Glasgow with runners on third and first.

Betts gave up a right field single to Ryan Cranmer that brought in Bradley on third. The next batter, Barbieri then homered to left field sending in three more runs and giving Newberry a 12-4 lead as well as the final score.