ROME- The Shorter Baseball team put together an incredible display of offense Friday afternoon in a sweep of Kentucky State as both games featured lopsided final scores. 

GAME ONE:

After giving up an RBI single in the top of the first, Griffin Rowe drove in the first two runs of the 2026 campaign with an RBI double to help the Hawks reclaim the lead. Shorter tallied in one more run as Micah Shipman scored on a wild pitch. The visitors tacked on another score in the top of the third to make it a one-run game.

Wilmer Henriquez made the most of his Shorter debut, as he helped ignite a flurry of Shorter runs with a two-run shot to begin the bottom of the third. Not long after, Josh Tattershall sent one deep, driving in three as the Hawks broke open their lead. In the same inning, Henriquez shot a laser down left field for a grand slam to make it a 12-2 game by favor of the Hawks. The visitors added in two more runs before the Hawks responded with two themselves as they cruised to a 14-4 victory. 

Tanner Folds (1-0) pitched well on the mound, going five innings while allowing just three hits and recording four strikeouts. Evan Joiner and Dakota Corntassel pitched a scoreless inning with Corntassel earning the save. 

Notable Performances: 

Wilmer Henriquez: 2-4, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 R
Josh Tattershall: 1-2, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R
Griffin Rowe: 2-4, 2 RBI


GAME TWO: 

The Hawks opened game two with a near-NCAA record 20-run first inning, just three runs shy of tying the NCAA record of 23 runs set by Division I George Mason in 2025. The Hawks got two runs in thanks to a wild pitch from the visitors and an RBI single from Tyler Zawacki to jump out ahead 2-0. The Hawks capitalized on the struggling pitching from Kentucky State as Isaiah Sims drew a walk with the bases loaded to make it a 3-0 affair. 

The onslaught of runs began as Brooks McKenna drove in two with an RBI single that was followed by a Micah Shipman RBI single that also drove in two. After a sac fly gave the Hawks another run, Wilmer Henriquez sent another shot deep for his second grand slam of the afternoon to open the floodgates. The Hawks tacked on eight more runs in the bottom of the first with an RBI triple from Brooks McKenna, another RBI single from Shipman, a three-run triple from Will Fincher, and a closing homer by Drake Cobb that drove in three to make it 20-0 after one inning of work. 

Jonathan Vigoa kept the bats hot, recording his first homer as a Hawk with a two-run shot. Will Fincher followed with a two-run bomb of his own to extend the Hawks' lead further. Drake Cobb drove in another run with an RBI single to make it 25-0 after two innings. Tyler Zawacki and Jonathan Vigoa put the finishing touches on the score as the duo each recorded an RBI double to make it a 27-0 final after just five innings. 

The Hawks were excellent on the mound as Logan Bryson, Bennett Reeves, and Grayson Goss (1-0)did not give up a single run or hit with five combined innings of work. Bryson walked just one batter, recording four putouts. 

Notable Performances: 

Will Fincher: 2-2, HR, 5 RBI, 4 R
Drake Cobb: 2-3, HR, 4 RBI, 3 R
Wilmer Henriquez: 2-2, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R
Jonathan Vigoa: 2-3, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R
Tyler Zawacki: 3-3, 3 RBI, 3 R
Micah Shipman: 2-2, 3 RBI, 2 R

UP NEXT

The Hawks will continue their weekend series against the Thorobreds tomorrow with first pitch for game one set to take place at 12:00 PM with game two to follow shortly after. 

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