PEMBROKE – Nate Stanton’s two-run homer with two outs in the top of the first inning gave visiting Chowan the early lead, but No. 18 UNCP answered with 18 unanswered runs of its own to complete a doubleheader sweep with an 18-2 victory over the Hawks Sunday afternoon at Sammy Cox Field.

The win put an exclamation point on a successful Senior Day celebration for UNCP (32-13) who got multi-hit outings from five different players, including three hits apiece from a quartet of student-athletes.

Kenny Mickens came within a double of hitting for the cycle and scored four times on a perfect 3-for-3 day at the plate, while Jason Coker drove in a pair of runs and scored three runs of his own on a perfect 3-for-3 tally as well. Keith Whitman doubled and homered on a 3-for-4 tally, and Tom Porricelli drove in four runs on a 3-for-4 hitting line. Josh Haley registered a pair of hits for the hosts as well.

Chowan (23-21-1) got hits from three different players, including Stanton’s run-producing knock in the first. Stanton finished the game with a 1-for-2 hitting line.

Starter Justin Yow (8-3) struck out five and allowed two hits and as many earned runs to pick up the win in a predetermined rotation, with Matt McGovern, Brantley Hattrich, Brian Willis and Rudy Brown each closing out the game by working a scoreless inning apiece. Andrew Hales (4-5) yielded 17 hits and 18 earned runs in four innings of work to take the loss for the Hawks.

Yow retired the first two Hawks in order, but walked Justin Bagbey and allowed Stanton’s ensuing wind-aided home run to right field to fall behind early. The Braves would answer the early challenge by scoring three run of their own in the home half of the first, and then put the game away with seven runs in the second and six more in the third.

Mickens tripled and later scored to lead off the fourth, before Whitman hit his third home run of the day to cap the scoring three batters later.

UNCP will continue a regular season-ending nine-game home stand on Wednesday when the Braves welcome 24th-ranked Catawba (38-10) to Sammy Cox Field for a 6 p.m. contest. The Indians completed a perfect run through the South Atlantic Conference Tournament on Sunday with a 16-5 win over Mars Hill in the championship game.

Braves throttle Chowan in twinbill opener

PEMBROKE – UNCP scored at least one run in each of the first five innings to stake claim to a 15-0 lead and hit cruise control the rest of the way out as the 18th-ranked Braves crushed Chowan, 15-3, in the front half of a non-conference baseball doubleheader.

UNCP (31-13) pounded out 14 hits, including nine of the extra-base variety, and got multi-hit tallies from five different players in fueling the rout.

The triumph gave UNCP skipper Paul O’Neil his 300th win as coach of the Braves who honored their five-member senior class – Kivett, Porricelli, Derek Funk, Matt McGovern and Rudy Brown – prior to first pitch. O’Neil is now 300-232-1 at the helm of the baseball program in Pembroke.