COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Carolina University Bruins Baseball team opened their weekend series on Friday evening with a 6-3 loss at Columbia International, unable to complete a late comeback after falling behind early.
Coming off a dominant 4-0 weekend sweep over conference opponent Fisher College, the Bruins (19-22) looked to carry momentum into the road matchup but were held scoreless through the first six innings.
Columbia International (17-27) struck first with a three-run second inning and added another run in the third to build a 4-0 lead. Carolina's offense broke through in the seventh inning, plating three runs on timely hitting. Freshman Daniel Isbell delivered the biggest swing of the inning with a two-RBI double, while Ben Gambrell added an RBI single to cut the deficit to one.
However, CIU responded immediately in the bottom half of the seventh with two runs of their own, extending the lead to 6-3 and halting the Bruins' momentum.
Carolina finished with four hits on the evening, with Isbell leading the way with two RBIs. Gambrell added a hit and RBI, while Peyton Horn recorded a hit and scored a run. On the mound, Paxton Tucker took the loss after allowing four runs over six innings of work, striking out five.
Despite drawing six walks, the Bruins struggled to capitalize, leaving 11 runners on base and striking out 16 times in the contest.
Associate Head Coach Logan Conklin noted the missed opportunities and the team's need to respond.
"We didn't execute consistently enough tonight," said Conklin. "We had chances to get back in it and showed some fight in the seventh, but against a team like that, you have to capitalize when those moments come. We'll regroup and be ready to compete tomorrow."
The Bruins will look to bounce back as the series continues this weekend and comes back home to Mando Field at Rich Park. A doubleheader on Saturday as we honor our 10 Seniors for Senior Day.
