DANVILLE, Va. – No. 14/16 Shenandoah University opened its
Easter Weekend baseball series against Averett with a 9-6 USA South
Conference Friday afternoon on Averett's North Campus.
For the second straight conference game, it took extra innings
for the Hornets (23-5, 6-3 USA South) to earn the win.
Saturday against AU (20-13, 4-5) it took 12 innings to finally
dispatch the Cougars and earn a seventh straight victory.
Junior designated hitter Greg Van Sickler,
who had started the game on the mound, had the game-winning RBI
with a two-run double down the left field line.
In addition to being the game-winning hit, Van Sickler's
two-bagger is the 48th of his career and gives him the
all-time lead in that category at SU.
The late inning heroics makes it two conference games in a row
that the Hornets have come from behind to win. Averett, on the
strength of two runs in the third and another in the fourth, led
the game 3-0 until the Hornets scored a single run in the sixth.
The Cougars advantage remained at two runs until the eighth,
when Jon
Holcomb's single through the right side knotted matters
at 4-4.
Holcomb's single plated Adam Delauter and
pinch runner Kurt
Krout from second and third, respectively. Delauter had reached
on a one-out single to center after pinch hitter Chris Ferry found
himself on first via a fielder's choice. Kraut came into run
for Ferry, and both he and Delauter moved up 90 feet on a wild
pitch.
The two teams traded runs in the ninth, setting up extra
baseball for the second time this season.
Sophomore Kyle
Scallion (4-0) earned the win with 4.0 innings of relief work.
Scallion allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks
while also striking out two.
He was the third SU pitcher of the day. Van Sickler went the
initial 7 2/3, allowing four runs on 12 hits. He had six
strikeouts.
Sophomore Jake Pendergraft
had three of the Hornets 14 hits with Scott Van
Dusseldorp, Cory
Nelson and Holcomb getting two apiece.
The two teams complete their series with a 1:00 Saturday
contest.
###
