Xavier notches first series victory of the season and is set to face Arizona State
Xavier baseball traveled to Nashville, Tenn., last weekend and completed a three-game series sweep against Lipscomb.
The Musketeers’ offense at the plate allowed them to outscore the Bisons 21-9 throughout the series. Xavier is now 5-5 on the season.
In game one, Xavier had a big rally in the seventh inning that allowed the Musketeers to take the lead, erasing a five-run deficit.
Sophomore outfielder Allbry Major’s two-RBI triple and junior infielder Conor Grammes’ sacrifice fly propelled Xavier to seize the lead.
Senior right-hander Taylor Williams entered in the ninth inning and closed the door to earn his first save of the season, striking out the side.
In game two, the bats stayed hot. Xavier posted a season-best 10 runs in a 10-1 win. Major logged another five RBI while adding three hits to his stat sheet. Four pitchers platooned game two for the Musketeers, striking out six batters while only giving up one earned run on the day.
Game three saw more outstanding pitching and defense by the Musketeers as they clinched the series sweep with a 4-2 victory. Grammes, who duals as a pitcher, tossed six scoreless innings while striking out five. Freshman righty Luke Flamm blanked the Bisons, pitching 2.1 innings. He fanned three batters and held the Bisons scoreless. Junior infielder Ryan Altenberger deposited a three-run homer to right center to set the tone nicely. This gave Xavier a 3-0 lead early on.
“If we can keep consistent with the pitching performances we had against Lipscomb, we’re going to be very successful,” junior outfielder Andrew Sexton, who started two games in the series, said.
Xavier will take on one of the best teams in the country, an 11-0 Arizona State, later this week.
“We’re very excited to start our spring break up against ASU,” Sexton said. “They have a really good offense, but we have a lot of things clicking for us right now, and we’re ready to face one of the best teams in the country… This weekend will be one of (the) toughest challenges of the season for sure, but I think as a ball club right now, we can handle any challenges we face.”
Xavier has some good momentum heading into spring break. Grammes and Flamm were both named to the Big East Honor Roll for their standout performances last week.
After a cancelation of the Miami (OH) game that was supposed to be played on Tuesday and a postponement of the Wright State game that was scheduled for Wednesday, Xavier returns to action on Friday for a three-game series against Arizona State.
By: Tim Kramer | Staff Writer