WINCHESTER, Va. – No. 16 Shenandoah University advanced to next week's ODAC Baseball Tournament semifinals thanks to an 18-5 game three victory over Hampden-Sydney Sunday afternoon.
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Shenandoah (28-9) scored at least two runs in each of the first five innings to pull away from the Tigers (18-14).
IN DEPTH
The Hornets took a lead they would not relinquish with two runs on two hits and one H-SC error in the first.
Grant Thompson reached with a one-out single to right center and scored when the Tigers threw away an attempted cut down throw on
Colby Martin's groundball to third.
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Martin advanced all the way to third on the play and scored one batter later on
Keegan Woolford's groundout to first.
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Kooper Anderson triple followed by a
Henry Delavergne single on a squeeze led to Shenandoah's third run. After
Matt Moon singled to right to move Delavergne to third,
Frankie Ritter brought Delavergne home with the first of his two sacrifice flies on the day.
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In third,
Haden Madagan ended up chasing H-SC starter Aidan Williams with a two-run home run to left. The dinger was Madagan's sixth of the year.
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The Hornets added three runs in both the fourth and fifth to give starting pitcher
Reilly Owen plenty of breathing room.
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Owen (6-0) pitched well, allowing just one run on two hits while striking out eight and walking three over the first five innings. Owen retired nine batters in a row from the third thru fifth innings.
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After tiring in the sixth,
Kyle Lisa pitched the sixth and seventh,
Matt House the eighth, and
CJ Morton the ninth.
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Shenandoah had a six-spot in the seventh, highlighted by a Ritter grand slam. Woolford also hit a two-run shot in the frame.
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All nine SU hitters had at least one hit. Martin and Delavergne led the 18-hit attack with three each with Ritter driving in six runs on the grand slam and two sacrifice flies. Ritter, Woolford, Madagan, Anderson, and
Matt Moon finished with two hits each.
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UP NEXT
Thanks to Eastern Mennonite's upset of top-seeded Randolph-Macon, Shenandoah will host the No. 8 Royals in next weekend's semi-final round series. The series is tentatively scheduled for a doubleheader Saturday and the if-necessary game on Sunday.
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