CLEVELAND, Tenn. – In a back-and-forth, high-scoring, affair, the No. 10 University of Montevallo Falcons proved victorious, winning 19-16 over Lee on the road.
 
 The series opener, Thursday, featured 35 combined runs, the most in a game this year for the Falcons and four Montevallo homers.
 
Scoring began early in the contest as the Lee jumped ahead of Montevallo in the bottom of the first, 5-1. UM's opening frame run came off an RBI single from Asa Awbrey.
 
After giving up five runs, Montevallo's offense responded with six of its own in the top of the second. The Falcons added three runs on two Lee errors and a sacrifice fly to trim the deficit to one, 5-4. A pair of RBI from Awbrey on his second single of the day gave Montevallo a 6-5 lead. The final run of the frame was added on a Luke Mitchell RBI single that pushed the lead to two, 7-5.
 
Lee's offense found ways to score in the bottom of the second and tied the game 7-7, but UM's offense picked up where it left off in the third for four more runs. With two outs, a Khalid Collymore single started a two-out rally. Next, Ben Teel was hit-by-pitch to bring Sam Kuchinski to the plate with two on and two outs. Kuchinski then blasted his 10^th home run of the year, a three-run shot to left center, to push the lead to three, 10-7. A double from Reed Latimer continued the two out rally as he was then driven in on Awbrey's third straight single to increase the lead to four, 11-7.
 
Zach Toth, who relieved UM's starter in the second, retired the Flames in order in the third to hole the hosts of the board for the first time of the evening.
 
Jake Smallwood hit his first home run of the season in the fourth to push the lead to five, 12-7. Lee got three runs back in the fourth to make it a two-run ball game, 12-10.
 
Scoring slowed down in the fifth as neither side was able to bring a runner across the plate. In the sixth the scoring remained limited with both sides adding one run each. UM's came from a Luke Mitchell double that scored Awbrey.
 
Lee posted a five spot in the seventh to make it 16-13 and held the Falcons scoreless in both the seventh and the eighth.
 
In the ninth, Montevallo's bats came to life. Three straight singles off the bats of Zen Hiatt, Smallwood, and Evan Liddie, loaded the bases. Teel drew a walk to score Hiatt and trim Lee's lead. Down two, 16-14, Reed Latimer stepped into the batter's box and delivered a grand slam, his tenth homer of the year, to vault UM on top 18-16. Awbrey followed up Latimer with a home run of his home for his fourth hit and fifth RBI of the day to give UM a three-run cushion, 19-16.
 
Connor Phelan kept Lee off the board in the bottom of the ninth and earned the win to move to 4-1 on the year.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: No. 10/21 Montevallo 19 | Lee 16
Records: No.10/21 Montevallo 29-7, 14-5| Lee 18-17, 8-11
Location: Montevallo, Ala.     
 

 GAME ONE NOTES

• Montevallo totaled a season-high 19 runs on 16 hits in the road win. Lee totaled 17 hits for 16 runs and committed three errors.
• The falcons improve to 29-7 overall and remain atop the GSC at 14-5. With West Georgia's doubleheader loss to West Florida, the Falcons are alone in first place.
• Asa Awbrey led UM's high-powered offense from the plate as he finished 4-for-5 with five RBI, three runs scored and a home run.
• Reed Latimer totaled four RBI in the road win with his grand slam and finished 2-for-5 with three runs, a double, and a walk.
• Sam Kuchinski, Luke Mitchell, Zen Hiatt and Jake Smallwood each added two hits in the win while Kuchinski and Smallwood each hit a homer.
• Connor Phelan earned the win and is now 4-1 on the year.
• Zach Toth threw two and a third solid innings in relief as he struck out a team-high four batters.

 

UP NEXT: Montevallo will continue its stay in Cleveland, Tennessee and wrap up the series, Friday, April 7, at 12 p.m. with a doubleheader.