WINCHESTER, Va. – No. 21 Shenandoah University completed a regular season sweep over Eastern Mennonite Tuesday afternoon with a 12-8 ODAC baseball victory over the Royals.
Shenandoah (27-9-1, 12-5-1 ODAC) outslugged EMU (10-21, 6-12) to earn its 10
th victory in the last 11 outings.
IN BRIEF
Innings three through five produced all of the offensive fireworks as the two teams scored all 20 of the game's runs on a combined 20 hits during that span.
The Royals struck first with a four-run top of the third only to see SU answer back with four of its own in the bottom of the frame. A combined seven runs were scored in the fourth as Eastern Mennonite scored four runs on three hits in the top of the inning and Shenandoah three runs on three hits in the bottom.
The hosts finally seized control of the contest by putting up a five-spot in the fifth. SU needed just three hits to score those five runs with
Gavin Horning putting Shenandoah on top to stay with a three-run double four batters into the frame.
Kooper Anderson led off the Hornets fifth with a single to right before
Logan Wood walked and
Frankie Ritter loaded the bases with an infield single. Horning then drilled his double into the gap in left center to put SU on top to stay, 10-8.
Ryan Clawson plated Horning with a groundout to short before
Kyle Lisa closed the book on the day's scoring by scampering home via wild pitch.
Horning led the offense with a 4-for-4 afternoon that included three RBI. Anderson had three hits, Lisa two and
Henry Delavergne drove in three runs on an inside-the-park home run in the third.
Delavergne's round-tripper, his eighth of the season, is the first inside-the-park home run at the renovated Bridgeforth Field.
Reilly Owen (3-4), the third of seven pitchers on the night for Shenandoah, got the win. Owen allowed one hit and walked one while striking out one in his lone inning of work. Starter
Calvin Pastel tossed the initial three innings and the none of the subsequent six pitchers tossed more than an inning and a third.
UP NEXT
Shenandoah hosts Penn St. – Harrisburg Wednesday afternoon in a 4 p.m. non-league contest. It is also senior day for the Hornets.
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