HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. – The Shenandoah Hornets opened up conference baseball action with a wild doubleheader sweep over Hampden-Sydney Sunday afternoon. The Hornets (12-1, 2-0) won game one after taking a 7-2 lead into the seventh inning but gave up five runs to the Tigers to be down 8-7. The Hornets then put up three runs in the ninth as
Joey Mitchell pitched the final 2.1 innings to secure the 10-8 win. In game two, Hampden-Sydney hung seven runs on the Hornets in the first inning. But throughout the second and third innings, Shenandoah tied the game at 7. The Tigers matched the Hornets four runs in the third to regain an 11-7 lead. Now it was Shenandoah's turn to put up seven runs in an inning and take their first lead of game number two, 14-11. The theme of this game, no lead is safe as the Tigers tied the game again in the fifth.
Chandler Ballenger broke the tie in the sixth to plate
Frankie Ritter.
Gavin Horning, 2-6 in game two (both triples), started the four-run eighth for the Hornets before
Kyle Garrett added one more insurance run.
Jackson Sherman pitched 3 innings to pick up the win before
Anthony Arrichiello closed out the final 1.2 innings to give the Hornets a 20-15 lead to start 2-0 in conference play.
Game 1:
Winning Pitcher:
Joey Mitchell (2-0)
Losing Pitcher: Alex Fitz-Hugh (0-1)
Top Numbers:
Frankie Ritter: 3-5, 1 run, 1 RBI, 1 walk, 1 stolen base
Gavin Horning: 3-4, 2 runs scored, 2 RBI, 1 double, 1 walk
Haden Madagan: 2-3, 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, 1 double 2 walks
Chandler Ballenger: 2-4, 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, 1 double, 1 walk
Jacob Bell: 6.2 innings pitched, 10 hits, 6 runs, 6 strikeouts, 1 walk
Joey Mitchell: 2.1 innings pitched, winning pitcher, 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Frankie Ritter led the game off with a single to the pitcher and then advanced to second on a throwing error. Chandler Ballenger doubled to score Rittter, and then Gavin Horning singled through the left side to plate Ballenger.
- Hampden-Sydney tied the game in the bottom of the first with a two-run homer to left.
- In the second, the Hornets regained the lead when Haden Madagan doubled to start the inning. Brody Pickette homered to left center to regain a 4-2 lead.
- In the third, Shenandoah added two more runs when Ballenger singled to start the inning and Horning doubled to put two runners on with no outs. Jonathan Stokely doubled to left field and plated both Ballenger and Horning.
- In the fifth, Horning led off with a homer to dead center making it a 7-2 game.
- The Tigers got one back in the fifth with a homer of their own and now it was 7-3, but Bell got out of the inning with no further damage.
- Looking to add more runs, the Hornets were cut short in the seventh trying to steal an extra base. In the bottom of the seventh, the Tigers did all of their damage scoring five runs on five hits and leaving the bases loaded. Joey Mitchell was able to stop the bleeding and the Hornets were down 8-7 going to the eighth.
- Matt House singled in the eighth and Jaime Padilla was hit by a pitch, but the Hornets left them stranded.
- Mitchell breezed through the bottom half of the inning. Chandler Ballenger started the inning with a walk and was lifted for pinch runner, Kyle Garrett. Gavin Horning sacrificed him over to second with one out. Haden Madagan singled through the left side to score Garrett. Noah Cornwell and Matt House both walked before Ritter walked with the bases loaded to put the Hornets up 10-8.
- Joey Mitchell worked around a 1-out walk, and a single, to get the final out to wrap up a wild game one.
Game Two:
Winning Pitcher:
Jackson Sherman (3-0)
Losing Pitcher: Alex Caruso (0-1)
Top Numbers:
Chandler Ballenger: 3-5, 2 runs scored, 3 RBI, 1 double, 1 walk
Matt House: 3-5, 3 runs scored, 3 RBI, 1 home run, 1 stolen base
Haden Madagen: 2-5, 2 runs scored, 3 RBI, 1 home run, 1 triple, 1 stolen base, 1 HBP
Pearce Bucher: 2-4, 2 runs scored, 2 RBI, 1 double, 1 home run
Dillon Partin: 1-1, 1 run scored, 2 walks
Scott Wilson: 1-2, 1 run scored, 1 RBI, 1 double
Gavin Horning: 2-6
, 3 runs scored, 4 RBI, 2 triples, 1 HBP
Kyle Garrett: 1-4, 1 run scored, 3 RBI, 1 double 1 walk, 1 stole base, 1 HBP, 1 sacrifice
Parker Farrington: 1.2 innings pitched, 3 hits, 2 runs, 1 ER, 3 strikeouts
Jackson Sherman: 3 innings pitched (winning pitcher), 2 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
Anthony Arrichiello: 1.2 innings pitched 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Hornets went quietly in the first after Kyle Garrett doubled and stole third, but they couldn't get him home.
- Michael Meyers got his first start after having to exit his last start against Susquehanna in the seventh after taking a ball off his arm, and he could not make it out of the first inning giving up six hits and six runs. Parker Farrington entered in relief to record the final two outs of the inning, but the Hornets were down 7-0 after one.
- That lead did not last long, as Jonathan Stokely led off the second with a walk before Haden Madagan blasted a homer to left field. Matt House followed that up with a homer of his own and suddenly that 7-0 lead, was now 7-3.
- Farrington worked around a walk and a single to leave two runners stranded in the second.
- Gavin Horning led off the inning by being hit by a pitch before Pearce Bucher doubled down the left field line. This put two runners on with only one out. Stokely walked to load the bases. Then Madagan was hit by a pitch to score a run, and Matt House singled to score two more. Kyle Garrett tied the game with a bases-loaded walk.
- In the bottom of the third, in this back-and-forth game, the Tigers put up a four spot to regain a 7-11 lead on four hits and take advantage of an error.
- In the fifth it was the Hornets turn. House was hit by a pitch. Then after Dillon Partin and Frankie Ritter walked, Garrett was hit by a pitch to score a run. Gavin Horning then hit a bases-clearing triple to tie the game at 11. Ballenger came through with another extra base hit before Pearce Bucher blasted a homer to right. Madagan hit the second triple of the inning but was left stranded on third.
- No lead was safe in this game as the Hampden-Sydney put up three more runs and we were all squared at 14 heading to the sixth.
- In the sixth, after Ritter singled and Horning reached base on an error, Ballenger singled through the middle to plate Ritter and retake the lead.
- Jackson Sherman got a much-needed double play to escape trouble in the home half of the sixth.
- In the eighth, Ritter walked to lead the inning off, and Garrett sacrificed him over to second. Horning tripled again, and Ritter was able to cross the plate calmly putting SU up two. Ballenger delivered another hit and another RBI to plate Horning. Scott Wilson doubled home Ballenger as Shenandoah was now up 19-14 looking for six more outs.
- Hampden-Sydney got a run back in the eighth, but Arrichiello left two runners on and avoided any more damage.
- In the ninth, the Hornets took advantage of two Tigers errors to score one more insurance run before Arrichiello threw a scoreless ninth.
UP NEXT
The Hornets have now won 10 straight and will continue their road trip and conference play on Wednesday when they travel to Lexington for an afternoon matchup with Washington and Lee.
#GoSUHornets
