North Henderson alum Hunter Donaldson is a senior for the Brevard College baseball team.
Hunter Donaldson had himself a day.
The North Henderson graduate provided 12 RBIs and three home runs for Brevard College in Wednesday’s doubleheader sweep at Montreat. Donaldson is a senior infielder/pitcher for the Tornados baseball team.
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MONTREAT, N.C. – A power surge by Hunter Donaldson and a stellar day defensively and on the mound sparked Brevard to a pair of seven-inning wins over Montreat by scores of 7-3 and 12-4 in Wednesday afternoon baseball action.
Donaldson finished his day with 12 RBI a trio of deep home runs to right center landing well up the gravel embankment that steeply rises beyond the outfield fence. His solo shot in the second inning of Game One tied the score after the Cavaliers scored a run on three hits in the first.
He then helped the Tornados build an insurmountable lead in the first inning of the afternoon’s second contest with another deep homer to right center. Each of the first five Tornados to come to the plate in the inning reached on base hits, with Donaldson’s three-run shot and a two-run bomb by Kyle Morrison to nearly the same spot providing all of the Tornados’ runs in the frame. Another two-run homer in the seventh inning of the second game stretched Brevard’s lead to its final eight-run margin.
Jay Phillips improved his record to 2-1 on the season after scattering 11 hits across 6.0 innings in Game Two, allowing four runs. He struck out five batters and threw 112 pitches in the winning effort. Tyler Luneke worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning to finish off the sweep.
Tyler Timms earned the win in relief in the first game, evening his record at 1-1 on the season with 4.2 innings on the mound. He entered with runners on the corners and one out in the third inning, escaping the frame without any damage. A ground ball to Ryan Smith provided the second out of the inning when Smith threw home and Kody Spencer applied the tag as the runner slid to home plate. A four-pitch strikeout ended the threat and kept the Cavaliers from extending what was a 2-1 lead.
The Tornados gained the lead in the fifth inning and never looked back. Brennan Allen plated the first run of the inning on an RBI single up the middle. Schuyler Martire had stopped at second, but alertly took off and came around to score when the ball squirted past the center fielder. Smith extended the lead to 4-2 on the next pitch when he ripped a single into left field.
Martire’s perfectly-placed bunt with runners on the corners in the sixth inning provided a pair of insurance runs when the throw to first sailed wide, giving Brevard a 6-2 lead. The teams traded runs in the seventh, but Timms was able to close out the game to pick up Brevard’s third win out of the bullpen in the last six contests.
Both games were shortened to seven innings due to adverse field conditions after recent rainy weather in the Montreat area. Field preparation did not allow time to play games of traditional length before dusk.
The Tornados turned four double plays in the doubleheader to move into second in Division II and third in all three NCAA divisions with 27 twin killings on the season. Only Saint Mary’s (Texas) and Georgia Tech, with 30 and 29 respectively, have more double plays in 2016 than the Tornados. Brevard also got an outfield assist from Brennan Allen, two from Josh Hall, and nearly saw another from Caleb Jones.
Brevard will return to action on Friday as the Tornados host South Atlantic Conference foe Lenoir-Rhyne. First pitch from Gil Coan Field is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
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