The Lenoir-Rhyne Baseball Team dropped their third straight conference game on Friday with a 9-3 loss to No. 16 ranked Newberry.

The Wolves piled it on the Bears with some big innings, especially with a three-run second frame that put the visitors on top early. Then with a couple of two-run innings in the fourth and fifth, Newberry ran away with the contest and never looked back.

LR got a surge of offense in the third inning with back-to-back home runs by Sal Carricato and Tyler McPeak, but the Bears could not continue to build off the heart of the order’s efforts and were held scoreless for the remainder of the way.

With this result, it removes LR from controlling its own destiny of hosting next week’s SAC Baseball Tournament. The Bears still have a shot to secure a Top 2 seed, but they are going to need help from some other teams in the conference on the final weekend of the SAC regular season.

Newberry consistently got batters aboard with 16 base hits. It is the most that LR has allowed in a single game this season. Andrew Patrick suffered his first loss since March 18 vs. Wingate; the redshirt senior allowed a single game-most 13 hits in his final regular season home performance.

Despite being one of the best base-stealing teams in the SAC, Newberry only managed to steal one base all game. The bullpen trio of Scott Meitzler, Chipper Mcginnis and Roland Thivierage combined for a solid relief outing. In four innings pitched, the three arms only allowed three hits and two earned runs.

McPeak had a splendid day at the plate with a 3-for-5 outing; the graduate transfer recorded seven total bases with a home run, double and single.

Newberry now leads the all-time series with a 47-38 record. In their all-time meetings in Hickory, N.C., the series is even at a 22-22 record.

Over the past 23 meeting between these two sides, the Wolves are 19-4 against the Bears. With the defeat, the Bears have now loss three of their last four conference series openers at home.

LR has dropped to the fifth spot in the SAC standings ahead of the final two days of conference play.

The Bears fall to 35-12 overall, 15-7 in the South Atlantic Conference. Lenoir-Rhyne will bring its conference slate to close on Saturday with a doubleheader against No. 16 Newberry. The senior day festivities will begin with a nine-inning game at 1:00 p.m. followed by a seven-inning contest at 4:00 p.m. It is also Bark in the Park Day at Durham Field where dogs will be able to walk the base paths in between the two games.