Pembroke cruises past Shepherd in three games
It was cold and, at times, windy. But UNC-Pembroke didn’t let the weather bother it at all.
The Braves scored in the double figures in all three weekend games of a sweep against visiting Shepherd.
With the temperature at 50 degrees and the wind at 17 mph, Pembroke defeated the Rams, 10-4, last Friday and then returned in 38-degree temperatures to cruise past the Rams, 14-3 and 16-6, in a doubleheader sweep on Saturday.
Outscored 40-13 in the three games, Shepherd’s pitchers had a combined ERA of 13.50. Only one pitcher, first-game starter Ryan Potts, had an ERA of less than 11.25. There were seven pitchers with hugely inflated ERAs.
The Shepherd pitchers issued numerous walks and had 10 wild pitches over the weekend.
On defense, Shepherd committed 15 errors in three games.
The Rams had a team batting average of .286, but struck out 32 times as a team.
First-year player Justin Smith went 7-for-10, including a 4-for-4 showing in the season opening 10-4 loss.
This weekend, the Rams will face South Carolina-Aiken in three games. The Pacers own a 9-0 record against Shepherd in the games the teams have played over the years. Aiken was 40-15 last season and opened last weekend by winning two of three games against visiting Lincoln Memorial.