LYNCHBURG, Va. – No. 18 Shenandoah University baseball registered the first upset of the 2018 ODAC Baseball Tournament with a 9-7 victory over No 3/1 Randolph-Macon Friday afternoon.
Shenandoah (32-10) jumped out to a 6-1 lead, but had to hold on as Macon (31-6-1) three runs in the in the seventh, one in the eighth and two in the ninth.
The 'Jackets final three runs were all unearned as SU had infield errors in the eighth and ninth.
Senior Colin Morse (7-3) got the win, allowing four runs on five hits and five walks in 6.0 innings of work.
Classmate Michael Bugonowicz got the final nine outs to register his seventh save of the spring. Bugonowicz came on with the bases loaded and nobody out in the seventh and allowed all three inherited runners to score, but worked through those two errors in the eighth and ninth to pick up the save.
With the tying run at the plate, Bugonowicz got Michael Nickles to fly to center to end it.
In the top of the ninth, the eventual winning run came home as Tristan Baker reached on an infield hit and Macon threw the ball away at first base in an attempt to cut down Baker.
Keegan Woolford, who was 3-for-4 with three RBI on the day, closed out the scoring by bringing home Baker on a triple off the wall in right.
The Hornets took their initial lead with two runs on two hits in the fourth. Luke Nussman led off with a single to center and after moving to second on a passed ball, was joined by base by Woolford, who drew a five-pitch walk.
Chase Smallwood sacrificed Nussman and Woolford over with a bunt, sending Nick Goode to the plate with the opportunity to drive in two runs.
Goode came through, lining an 0-2 fastball back through the box to bring home the two runs.
SU scored single runs in the fifth and sixth with Baker plating Henry Delavergne with a sacrifice fly to right in the fifth and Robert Marcelle bringing home Chase Smallwood with a single up the middle in the sixth.
Smallwood reached on a one-out double down the left field line.
In the seventh, Woolford had a two-out double into the right field corner, scoring Thompson from second and Baker from first.
Thompson laced a one-out single to right before Baker reached as Macon was unable to successfully field his sacrifice bunt.
Thompson, Nussman and Smallwood all had two hits.
With the win, Shenandoah moves into a 7:00 Saturday contest versus the winner of Roanoke/Virginia Wesleyan contest. That game will be played Saturday at noon after being postponed Friday evening.
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