SUMTER, S.C. – On Friday, Louisberg's men's baseball team took on the USC Sumter Fire Ants on the road at Riley Park in an NJCAA Region X matchup.

In the first game, Kevin Westlake got the start for the Hurricanes, allowing two hits and three unearned runs in one inning of work. Steven Cook came on in the second, and worked the next 5 and 1/3, allowing five runs, four of them earned, while walking six and striking out four. Ultimately, Cook was tagged with the loss in the 8-7 defeat.

At the plate, Hurricanes' first baseman Derek Neal went 2-for-3 and drove in two runs. Third baseman Tucker Rogers also had two hits and drove in two for Louisburg in the loss. As a team, the Hurricanes compiled ten hits but couldn't keep the Fire Ants off the board early, as USC Sumter jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

Louisburg came back to take the lead in the top of the fourth when Vinney Bailey doubled to right field off Fire Ants' starter Blake Robinson to score Zacchaeus Raspberry and advance catcher Trey Hicks to third. Neal then followed up with a double, sending both Hicks and Bailey in to score, and tying the game at 3-3.

Rogers then singled to centerfield to score Neal and put the Hurricanes up, 4-3, before the Fire Ants closed out the Louisburg side. USC Sumter scored two in the bottom of the inning to briefly regain the lead at 5-4.

The Hurricanes went to work again in the top of the sixth, when Rogers drove in Bailey to knot the score. Second baseman Sergio Burgos then knocked in Rogers and later scored to a make the game 7-5, Hurricanes. After pushing across a run in the bottom of the sixth, USC Sumter held Louisburg scoreless in the top of the seventh. In the bottom of the inning, the Fire Ants added two runs to make it 8-7 and walk off with the win.

In the nightcap, the Hurricanes once again put up seven runs, but this time limited the host Fire Ants to just three, as sophomore right-hander Payton Rice went five innings and held USC Sumter to three runs, with just two of them earned.  

Rice struck out eight and gave up nine hits, but spread them out to minimize the damage. The big blow from USC Sumter was a first inning two-run home run from short stop Donta Green. USC Sumter only managed one more run in the remainder of the game.

Hurricanes' reliever Seth Johnson pitched two spotless innings for Louisburg in relief of Rice to close out the Fire Ants in the seven-inning game.

At the plate, Louisburg got what it needed as Bailey belted a three-run homer in the top of the sixth, and freshman Aaron Beach hit a solo shot earlier in the inning.

With the win, Rice is now 6-2 on the season for the Hurricanes (21-12, 6-4), while reliever Tristen Campbell took the loss for the Fire Ants (21-12-0) and dropped to 1-1.

Next Up: The Hurricanes turned back around to face the Fire Ants on Saturday. Full recap to follow.