WINCHESTER, Va. – No. 8/20 Shenandoah University earned
its second straight home USA South Conference baseball sweep by
taking a doubleheader from Christopher Newport Saturday.
Shenandoah (20-5, 5-3 USA South) was an 8-3 winner in the
opening game but needed 14 innings to outlast the Captains 8-7 in
the nightcap.
Game two took 4:27 to complete as the Hornets and CNU (13-8,
5-5) combined for 33 hits and 40 runners left on base.
Senior Jon
Holcomb won it for SU in the bottom of the 14th when
he drilled a one-out single into right field off of Captains
reliever Kyle Harsanyi (0-1) to score Adam Delauter from
third.
Delauter, the No. 9 hitter in the lineup, led off the Hornets
14th with a double to left center and moved to third on
a wild pitch.
Following an intentional walk to Kevin Brashears,
Holcomb played the hero by registering his fourth hit of the
contest to bring home Delauter.
His hit made a winner of junior Mike Smith (1-0),
who pitched the final 1 1/3 for the hosts. Smith, the seventh
Shenandoah pitcher, struck out two and did not allow a hit.
The Hornets only needed one pitcher in the opener as Greg Van
Sickler threw his third complete game of the spring.
Van Sickler (5-1) allowed 11 hits and walked one, but was in
total control in the 8-3 win. He struck out three and retired the
Captains in order in the second, third, fifth and seventh
innings.
Van Sickler's offense provided four runs in the first as the
first six hitters reached base safely and nine men total came to
the plate against CNU starter Josh Brinkman (3-3).
Scott
Van Dusseldorp and Cory Nelson had RBI
singles in the frame with Nelson's single down the left field line
plating the eventual game-winning run.
Shenandoah added three runs in the fourth to lead 7-0 before
Christopher Newport parlayed that one walk for one run on two hits
in the sixth.
After Van Dusseldorp had a solo shot in the seventh, CNU got two
runs on two hits and a hit batsman in the ninth before Van Sickler
ended matters with fly balls to left and center.
Brashears and Holcomb, the Nos. 1 and 2 hitters in the Hornets
lineup, each had three hits and scored two runs.
Van Dusseldorp was 3 for 4 with the solo HR while Nelson was 2
for 2 with two RBI. In the fourth, Nelson drove in his second run
with a sacrifice fly to center which snapped a string of nine
straight appearances over the past three games in which he reached
base.
Brashears led all players with five hits in the nightcap,
Holcomb had four and Van Sickler and Nelson three each.
Shenandoah takes on Frostburg State on Wednesday in a
non-conference contest.
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