Tied at 5-5 in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and runners on first and second, Nathan Kidder stepped up to the plate and hit an RBI single to defeat Coker 6-5 for Lenoir-Rhyne’s second walk off win in their past three games.
Lenoir-Rhyne put up 16 hits in this one, including three from Drew Beard and Kidder. Jack Renaud got the win.
Coker scored four runs on six hits in the top of the first to quickly take control of the game. The Bears began to chip away with runs in the second on third off RBIs from Sylas Boris and Seth Christmas. Trent Murchison made it a one-run game with an RBI groundout in the sixth. Later that inning Mackenzie Wainwright and Boris scored off a throwing error from the pitcher to take the lead. The Cobras tied the game in the top of the ninth with a solo home run to left. With two outs Matt Procopio and Andrew Muraco hit back-to-back singles to set the stage for Nathan Kidder’s walk off.
Nathan Kidder was 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Drew Beard was 3-for-5 with a run scored. Mackenzie Wainwright, Seth Christmas, Matt Procopio, and Sylas Boris each had two hits. Jack Renaud (1-1) struck out one in his lone inning of work. Preston Drebes allowed just one hit in three innings and failed to walk a batter.
This is Coker’s first trip to Hickory since the 2023 season. LR has won five in a row in Hickory against Coker. Procopio is on a eight game hit streak. The Bears improve their record to 19-5-1 overall, 11-4-1 in the South Atlantic Conference.
{Information provided by Lenoir-Rhyne Athletics}