HIGH POINT, N.C. – No. 20/25 Shenandoah University opened up ODAC Baseball Tournament championship play with a 9-3 win over Bridgewater College Friday afternoon.
Shenandoah (32-10-1) scored three runs in the fourth and four in the sixth to erase a two-run deficit to the Eagles (26-16).
IN DEPTH
The Hornets scored the game's first run, with
Pearce Bucher driving home
Kyle Lisa with a two-out single up the middle in the first, but saw BC reach SU starter
Jacob Faivre for three runs on four hits and one walk in the second.
Faivre (8-1) settled down after that inning, exiting after six innings and 102 pitches with a seven-strikeout performance that only allowed those three runs.
Southpaw
Tad Dean came on to start the seventh and recorded the final nine outs to pick up his fifth save of the spring. Dean scattered three hits and struck out one.
Shenandoah took the lead for good with three runs on three hits off of Bridgewater starter Reid Long in the fourth.
Ryan Clawson led off with a single to left and after
Henry Delavergne beat out a bunt down the third base line for a hit,
Haden Madagan reached with a fielder's choice that retired Delavergne.
Kooper Anderson followed with an infield single to plate Clawson before
Matt Moon loaded the bases by reaching on a fielder's choice.
Frankie Ritter tied the game on a sacrifice fly to center before Anderson put SU on top to stay by scampering home via wild pitch.
In the sixth, Bucher delivered a two-out, bases loaded single to right center to score Lisa, Ritter and Moon. The Eagles had elected to intentionally walk Lisa to load the bases to face Bucher and the senior made them pay with his third hit of the day.
Bucher finished the afternoon 3 for 5 with four RBI. Lisa and Clawson both had two hits.
Reid (11-2), the ODAC Pitcher of the Year, took the loss. He allowed six runs on eight hits and two walks in 5 1/3.
UP NEXT
Shenandoah takes on sixth-seeded Roanoke in the 1 p.m. game Saturday afternoon. The Hornets will be the home team in the game.
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