The Carolina University Bruins baseball team completed a doubleheader sweep against Mid-Atlantic Christian University in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, on Saturday, February 21. The Bruins won the first game 8-6 after coming from behind and secured an 8-0 shutout in the second game.
This marks the team’s first weekend series sweep since April 2024. In the opening game, Chandler Smithart hit a leadoff home run for Carolina, but Mid-Atlantic Christian responded by building a 6-1 lead through four innings. The Bruins tied the game with a five-run fifth inning, highlighted by an RBI double from Daniel Gonzalez and RBI singles from Alexis Fontanez and Ty Vespe. DJ Biggers added a two-run single to even the score at 6-6.
Carolina took the lead in the seventh inning through aggressive baserunning and timely hitting before adding another run to secure the win. Tanner Buteau earned his second win of the season by pitching a scoreless inning with two strikeouts, while Abraham Leal closed out the seventh for the save. Smithart finished with two hits, including a home run and two runs scored.
In game two, Carolina combined strong offense with dominant pitching to complete the sweep. The team took advantage of errors to take an early lead and scored in five different innings. Ty Vespe went 4-for-4 with three runs scored and a double, while Peyton Banks contributed a two-RBI double. Cameron Gribble pitched six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out ten batters for his first win of the season. Landon Johnson finished off the shutout.
Associate Head Coach Logan Conklin commented on his team’s performance: “I’m really proud of how our guys competed today,” said Conklin. “Game one showed a lot of toughness — being down early and responding the way we did speaks to the growth of this group. In game two, we played complete baseball. We threw strikes, played clean defense, and applied pressure offensively. That’s the standard we’re working toward every day.”
The Bruins are part of NCAA Division III athletics within intercollegiate sports and belong to the Ohio Athletic Conference. They are based in Bexley, Ohio, where they participate in both conference and non-conference games throughout their season as outlined on their official website. The program emphasizes integrating academics with athletics for its student-athletes while contributing to Carolina University’s athletic legacy.
Carolina University is scheduled to play next at Averett University on Tuesday, February 24.
