WINCHESTER, Va. – Shenandoah University completed its 2006 baseball season Sunday afternoon by dropping a non-league doubleheader to Division II Columbia Union College.
The Hornets (25-18) led both games heading into the final inning only to see Columbia Union (28-20) rally with its backs to the wall each time. CUC was a 7-5 winner in game one before taking the nightcap, 4-3, in 10 innings.
The Pioneers rallied for that game one win with three runs in the top of the seventh inning. Kendall Hurst led off the frame with a walk, moved to second on a failed pickoff attempt and to third on an infield single.
Ryan Brown followed with an infield single to plate Hurst, tying the score at 5-5 off of SU reliever Nick Sborz (4-2). After a wild pitch, a groundout to short and an intentional walk to load the bases, Sborz got Adam Melis to ground to first for a potential game-ending double play. Unfortunately for the Hornets faithful, first baseman Adam Duckett's throw to home was wide, allowing pinch runner Justin Roman to score the game-winning run.
The visitors' late game heroics made a winner of Brad McLaughlin (4-5), who allowed one run on four hits and one walk in 5.2 innings of relief. He also struck out six and did not allow a runner to reach scoring position after the fifth.
Shenandoah had jumped out to a 3-0 game one lead with three runs on two hits in the first inning off CUC starter Michael Passarell. Passarell walked leadoff hitter Daniel Ziccardy before allowing a single to Scott Disch and a two-run dinger to David Jenkins .
Disch's single to short center plated Ziccardy from third. Ziccardy found himself 90 feet from home plate when Passarell tossed a pickoff attempt into foul territory behind first base for a two-base error.
Disch and Jenkins both drove in two runs on one hit – Disch was 1-for-3 and Jenkins 1-for-4.
The Pioneers scored two runs in the first inning of the nightcap off sophomore Taylor DuFrene, but needed another rally off Sborz in the top of the seventh to extend the game into extra innings.
CUC completed the sweep when Sborz hit Brandon Hall to lead off the inning, moved him to second on a groundout and then got Ryan Brown single to right to score Hall.
The Hornets left 11 men on base in game two, including runners in scoring position in the seventh, eighth and 10th innings.
Junior Ryan Anderson finished game two 2-for-4 with two runs scored while senior Matt McCormick drove in one run. He tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth with a single to left to plate Anderson, who had led off the frame with a double down the left field line.
Box Scores/Plays by Play
These two games conclude the second most successful season in Shenandoah University baseball history.
