West Georgia spoiled Lee's Military Appreciation Day by edging the Flames 3-1 and 2-1 under perfect baseball conditions at Olympic Field on Saturday afternoon. The wins moves West Georgia to 27-16 overall, 14-3 GSC, while the Flames dropped to 23-23, 14-12 GSC.
The Flames will close out their regular conference season next Saturday and Sunday when they travel to Rome, Ga. and face Shorter University in an important three-game series.
In the opening game on Saturday, the Wolves put a single run on the board in the second inning and the Flames tallied their only run of the game in the fourth inning when Miguel Pimentel drilled a long home run over the left-field wall.
West Georgia came back with two key runs in the sixth to put the contest out of reach.
Greyson McLeod (4-1) pitched 8.1 strong innings for the Wolves to pick up the win. Dalton Reagin worked the final 0.2 innings to pick up his fifth save of the year. The Flames got a solid effort from Wes Albert (2-3). In 5.1 innings he allowed just five hits, three earned runs, striking out five and walking one. Eric Freeman came on for 2.2 innings and gave up five hits and no earned runs, while Thomas Zazzaro pitched the final inning.
Payne, Dalton Ney, Chase Gadau and Justen Freeman joined Pimentel with Lee's only hits. Cade Marlowe carried the big stick for the winners. He had three hits and joined Price Peters with a double. Marlowe also scored two of his team's runs.
In the nightcap, the Flames broke open a scoreless game in the bottom of the fifth inning. Justen Freeman singled and took second on a wild pitch. Payne was intentionally walked but Jordan Howard promptly delivered a single that scored Freeman to give the Flames a short-lived lead.
The Wolves spoiled the entire afternoon by plating two runs in the top of the seven-inning game. Joseph Hill singled and Tucker Breen put down a sac bunt. A single by Nick Poskey tied the game and then Brian Dansereau delivered the knockout blow that scored Poskey with what turned out to be the winning run. A rally by the Flames with the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning came up short when relief pitcher Drew Hayles delivered a strikeout.
Pat Morrow pitched well enough to win. In 6.1 innings, the right-hander allowed four hits, just one earned run, striking out nine and walking three. Logan Workman relieved Morrow in the seventh and gave up two hits and an unearned run. Workman (3.1) was charged with the loss. The Wolves used four pitchers with Andres Hernandez hurling the first 5.1 innings, but it was Reagin (3-2) who was credited with the pitching win.
Again the Flames were limited to just seven hits, with Howard collecting the only RBI. Dansereau had two hits and a key RBI, while Gabriel Wurtz was also credited with a run batted in.