SPARTANBURG, S.C. — The Bryan College Lions traveled to Spartanburg, South Carolina this weekend and returned home with a clean sweep, taking all three games of their series against Spartanburg Methodist College. The Lions won 6-4 on Friday evening before completing the sweep with a 13-8 victory and a dramatic 8-7 comeback Saturday, improving their overall record to 17-16 and their conference mark to 10-7.
The sweep was a total team effort, with Bryan getting contributions throughout the lineup across all three contests. Second baseman
Denajh Williams emerged as one of the weekend's standout performers, driving in runs in all three games and delivering clutch hits when the Lions needed them most. Shortstop
Cyrus Campos also had a breakout day in Game 2, going 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI.
Game 1 — Friday: Bryan 6, Spartanburg Methodist 4
In the series opener Friday evening, Bryan pitcher
Tanner Everett was brilliant, throwing six scoreless innings and allowing just three hits while walking one and striking out two. The Lions scratched out an unearned run in the second inning on a
Caleb McCarty RBI single and held a slim 1-0 lead until the sixth, when a pair of
Denajh Williams errors handed Spartanburg Methodist three unearned runs and a 3-1 edge. Bryan answered immediately in the seventh —
Logan Stradley scored on a wild pitch to cut the deficit to 3-2 — and then rallied for four runs in the eighth to take the lead for good.
Jack Reynolds and
Cyrus Campos both drove in runs in the frame, and
Jayron Morris singled home what proved to be the winning run.
Ty Johnson worked a scoreless ninth to earn the save.
Game 2 — Bryan 13, Spartanburg Methodist 8
Game 2 was a slugfest that saw Bryan erase a four-run first-inning deficit to cruise to a 13-8 win. Spartanburg Methodist plated four in the bottom of the first off starter
Chris Hall, but the Lions rallied with four of their own in the third on a
Jayron Morris two-run double, a
Will Curcio RBI single, and a sacrifice fly from
Denajh Williams. After Bryan retook the lead for good with a three-run sixth,
Cyrus Campos delivered the biggest blow of the game — a three-run homer to right field in the seventh that put the contest out of reach at 11-6.
Denajh Williams was the offensive star of the afternoon, going 2-for-5 with five RBI, while Campos finished 3-for-5 with three RBI including his blast. Reliever
Jackson Black earned the win, tossing four solid innings of relief.
Game 3 — Bryan 8, Spartanburg Methodist 7
The nightcap was the most dramatic game of the weekend. Bryan held a 2-0 lead entering the fifth inning before Spartanburg Methodist erupted for five runs — fueled by a Matt Smith three-run double, an Evan Smith RBI single, and a wild pitch — to take a 7-2 advantage. The Lions refused to fold, answering with six runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth.
Brodie Genter's two-run single got the rally started, RBI hits from
Jack Reynolds and
Caleb McCarty followed, and
Jayron Morris capped the outburst with a two-run single that gave Bryan an 8-7 lead. The Bryan bullpen held the rest of the way to complete the sweep.
With the series win, Bryan moves to 17-16 overall and 10-7 in conference play. The Lions appear to be hitting their stride heading into the final stretch of the regular season. With the lineup clicking and the bullpen proving reliable in tight spots, Bryan College looks well-positioned to make a push for the postseason.
