NEWBERRY, S.C.  – For second-consecutive days, the Jaguar Baseball team went down in the first inning to the Newberry Wolves, but this time, they were unable to achieve the comeback win as they fell 4-1 in non-conference action Sunday afternoon.

The Jaguars (1-1) won the season opener against Newberry (1-1) on Saturday, Jan. 31, but struggled against a left-handed veteran pitcher as the Wolves avenged the loss in their home park. Each team registered six hits apiece, but a two-run homer made the difference. GRU meets Newberry again when they host the Wolves on Tuesday, Feb. 17 for a 4:00 p.m. single game at Lake Olmstead Stadium.

Newberry plated one in the first inning off GRU starter Matthew Kuhlenberg, making his Jaguar debut after transferring from Middle Georgia this fall. Later in the bottom of the fourth still down 1-0, Kuhlenberg dealt a leadoff walk to Jeff Sneed, before Nolan Schrenker homered to left field for a 3-0 advantage.

Kuhlenberg (0-1) tossed 4.0 innings and struck out three batters in his first outing to take the loss, while giving up three earned runs on four hits. Sophomore righty Will Robertson tossed a quiet fifth inning after Kuhlenberg and sat down three batters in a row on three groundballs to keep the things within reach for the Jags.

GRU couldn't manage any productive offense for six innings off Newberry starter senior lefty Wesley Camp. Things changed in the top of the seventh, when Nick Rau leadoff with a single into left and took second on the next at bat after a Newberry infield error. Drew Taylor laid down a sac bunt to move Rau into third and CJ Reed to second, and a Christopher Michals RBI grounder to short, scored Rau to put the Jags on the board in a 3-1 game.

Freshman righty Adam Grice took the mound in the sixth and stranded a man on third with no outs after three straight groundballs, but the Wolves added one off Grice in the seventh. After a leadoff double from Ty Powell, Newberry played small ball and laid down two-straight bunts to score another for a 4-1 lead.

Camp (1-0) got the win in 7.0 innings of work, allowing four hits for one unearned run, and striking out six of his 26 batters faced. Daniel Nations closed the ninth inning and got the save for the Wolves, striking out one in his three batters faced. Camp was one of three pitchers to be named to the 2015 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason All-Region Team.  

GRU didn't find the momentum that gave them 18 hits in the opener, but junior Hunter Boose paced the team with a 2-4 performance. Connor Gilbert, Rau, Taylor, and Michals all had one hit each. The Jags play at West Georgia this Tuesday, Feb. 3 for a 3:00 p.m. non-conference game.

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