MEMPHIS—The Christian Brothers University Bucs stranded the potential game-tying run on second base in both games as they were swept 4-3 and 9-7 in Saturday's Gulf South Conference West Division doubleheader against Arkansas-Monticello.

In the opener, UAM (14-9, 2-0 GSC West) starter Craig Pellegrin threw a gem, allowing three unearned runs on four hits and four walks as he struck out 10 over seven innings.

The Boll Weevils scored first in the second inning with a pair of two-out runs on a sacrifice fly from Wayne Hawkins and a single by Kyle Henry.  They doubled the margin in the fourth on back-to-back homers from Blaine Ivey and Noah Sanders.

The Bucs (4-16, 0-2) answered with three runs in the bottom of the fifth.  After Josh Shelton (Rosemark, Tenn./Christian Brothers HS) and Anthony Apro (Lexington, Ky./West Jessamine HS) drew walks, Tyler Dunn (Bartlett, Tenn./Tipton-Rosemark Academy) laid down a sacrifice bunt.  A throwing error on the play allowed all three runners to be safe.  After a wild pitch, Alan Wright (Memphis, Tenn., Christian Brothers HS) hit a two-run single up the middle, pulling the Bucs within a run.

CBU stranded a runner on second in the seventh inning and left runners on first and second in the ninth as they were unable to score the tying run.  Six different Bucs had one hit each, and Wright picked up two RBI.

In the nightcap, the Bucs found trouble early, committing two first-inning errors to allow UAM to score first.  Hawkins blasted a three-run homer to center in the second inning to push the lead to 4-0 and put the Bucs on the ropes.

Josh Shelton (Rosemark, Tenn./Christian Brothers HS) put the Bucs on the board in the bottom of the second as he hit an RBI double to score Joseph Kaminski (Sherwood, Ark./Little Rock Catholic HS), who had led off with a single.  The Bucs exploded for four runs in the third inning as they started the inning with six straight singles, but they would leave the bases loaded on a short flyout and two straight strikeouts.

Ivey put UAM back in front with a two-run double in the fourth, but the Bucs tied it again as Kaminski hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the inning.

Drew Harper blasted what would prove to be a game-winning two-run homer in the fifth, and Dunn hit an RBI single in the bottom of the inning to score Shelton, who had hit a leadoff single.  After a sacrifice bunt, two straight strikeouts ended the Bucs' threat with runners on second and third.

After UAM set the final margin with a sixth-inning run, the Bucs loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, but UAM's sixth pitcher of the game, Lanc Crochet, ended it with back to back called strikeouts.

Shelton went 3-for-4 with two RBI to lead the Bucs' 12-hit attack.  Kaminski was 2-for-3 with two runs, while David Alan Wright (Olive Branch, Miss., DeSoto Central HS) drove in a pair of runs.  Aaron Short (Cleveland, Tenn./Cleveland HS) struck out two in a perfect inning of relief.

The Bucs and Weevils meet again Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. for the final game of the series.