Baseball 2/25/2021 9:10:00 PM Morris Wright

Claflin Host UNC Pembroke in a PBC Conference Action

Orangeburg, S.C. - The Panthers of Claflin University will play host to UNC Pembroke in a Peach Belt Conference (PBC) baseball series at Historic Mirmow Field in Orangeburg, SC.

The three-game series gets underway Friday (Feb. 26) at 6 p.m. with a single game followed by a double-header on Saturday (Feb. 27) beginning at 1 p.m. The series will wrap up a two-week homestand for Claflin, now 1-7 overall and the same record in conference play. The Panthers were swept last weekend by Georgia College.

As for UNC Pembroke, the Braves will bring a 3-2 overall record and 1-2 in league play to Orangeburg. The Braves dropped a 2-1 league series at USC-Aiken the last time out.

The Claflin offense is led by sophomore Da'Avion Sumpter with a .308 batting average that includes eight hits and three doubles. The Elgin, S.C. native has posted three multiple-hit games with career-highs of four against Lander University. He also hit a pair of doubles in the Panthers 16-13 win over North Georgia University.

Another top hitter for Claflin is Quinten Kinard, a junior, with a .278 batting average. Kinard has hit safely in the last two games, going 3-for-8 with an RBI over two games last weekend against Georgia College.

Claflin has three players, all seniors, with a home run each in Edzaviah Paul, Steve Joyner, and Keyon Smith. Smith is the top run-producer for the Panthers with eight RBIs, while Joyner has accounted for 12 total bases.

The Panthers are hitting .207 as a team with 28 runs scored, including three home runs and 70 total bases.

Offensively, UNC Pembroke has three players hitting over the .400 mark. The list includes Spencer Faulkner (.450), Bobby Dixon (.421), and River Ryan (.409). Dixon leads the team in RBIs with seven.

Collectively, the Braves are batting .309 with four home runs, 39 runs scored, and 81 total bases.

The Claflin pitching staff will try to keep the UNC Pembroke batters at bay with junior X'zavier Johnson and senior Makai Holloway. Both have started three games for the Panthers this season. Holloway has been the workhorse with a high of 14.2 innings followed by Johnson at 11.1 innings.

UNC Pembroke has two productive starters in Bucky Bonynge (1-0) with 18 strikeouts and Jacob Morrison (1-0). Both have pitched with 10.2 innings this season.

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Players Mentioned

#4 Makai Holloway: P; 5' 10"; Senior; L/L

#11 X'Zavier Johnson: P; 5' 8"; Junior; L/L

#2 Steve Joyner: OF/P; 6' 2"; Senior; R/R

#3 Edzaviah Paul: INF; 5' 7"; Senior; R/R

#21 Keyon Smith: OF/1B; 6' 2"; Senior; L/L

#22 Quinten Kinard: 2B; 5' 9"; Junior; R/R

#32 Da'Avion Sumpter: INF; 6' 0"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#4 Makai Holloway
: 5' 10"; Senior; L/L
: P

#11 X'Zavier Johnson
: 5' 8"; Junior; L/L
: P

#2 Steve Joyner
: 6' 2"; Senior; R/R
: OF/P

#3 Edzaviah Paul
: 5' 7"; Senior; R/R
: INF

#21 Keyon Smith
: 6' 2"; Senior; L/L
: OF/1B

#22 Quinten Kinard
: 5' 9"; Junior; R/R
: 2B

#32 Da'Avion Sumpter
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: INF