WINCHESTER, Va. – The Shenandoah University baseball team got back to their winning ways with an 18-4 win over Bridgewater College Thursday afternoon at Kevin Anderson Field at Bridgeforth Stadium.  The Hornets (15-2, 5-1) got 7 strong innings from Nick Bell in a game that was all Hornets from the start.  After surrendering two runs in the top of the first off a lead off walk and double, Bell settled down to only allow those two runs on five hits and striking out two.  The Hornets were led offensively today by Pearce Bucher as the doctoral student went 3-4 with 4 runs scored, 2 RBI, and a towering shot to left field.  Six other Hornets had a multi-hit game as Frankie Ritter and Brody Pickette also hit home runs in the game.  Michael Meyers came on to pitch the 8^th inning before giving way to Colin Miller to get the final three outs of the game.
 
Winning Pitcher: Nick Bell (2-0)
Losing Pitcher: Nick Harris (0-2)
 
Top Numbers:
Pearce Bucher: 3-4, 4 runs scored, 2 RBI, 1 HR, 1 walk
Frankie Ritter: 2-5, 1 run scored, 2 RBI, 1 HR, 1 SF
Matt House: 2-6, 1 run scored, 2 RBI, 1 double
Gavin Horning: 2-5, 2 runs scored, 1 triple
Chandler Ballenger: 2-4, 1 run scored, 1 RBI
Andrew Falk: 2-4: 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, 1 double
Brody Pickette: 2-5, 2 runs scored, 4 RBI, 1 HR, 1 double
Haden Madagan: 1-2, 2 runs scored, 2 RBI, 1 double, 1 walk, 2 HBP
Nick Bell: 7 IP, 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 ER, 2 strikeouts, 2 walks
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 

• Bridgewater used a lead off walk, followed by a double to score their first run in the first.  Then after a flyout to right, which moved the runner to third, followed by a ground out gave the Eagles a 2-0 lead.
• Frankie Ritter led off the bottom of the first with a blast to left field to cut the lead in half.  With one out, Gavin Horning powered an opposite-field triple before Chandler Ballenger was hit by a pitch, Pearce Bucher walked to load the bases, then Haden Madagen was drilled in the leg to tie the game at 2-2.
• After the shaky start in the first, Nick Bell went on to have a three up and three down 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th inning and retired 12 straight batters before giving up a single in the 5^th.
• Kyle Garrett led the second off with a single to right field and advanced to second on a passed ball.  Garrett was able to walk home after Matt House lined a double to the corner in right field.  Chandler Ballenger singled up the middle to plate House and then Pearce Bucher absolutely annihilated a ball to left field as the Hornets scored four to now lead 6-2.
• In the third, Andrew Falk led off with a double to deep center field.  Brody Pickette reached first on an error on the shortstop before Kyle Garrett reached base safely on an error while getting the sacrifice bunt down.  Frankie Ritter hit a sacrifice fly to score Falk.  Gavin Horning then singled to load the bases, but the Hornets could not push any more runs across.
• Pearce Bucher singled to the shortstop and advanced to second on a throwing error.  Haden Madagan doubled down the left field line to plate Bucher.  Brody Pickette got in on the home run action, and hammered a shot over the left field fence to make it a 10-2 ball game.
• In the fifth, Gavin Horning walked and Ballenger singled up the middle to put two runners on with nobody out.  With runners on the corners, Horning scored on a balk before Madagan walked.  Back-to-back hits from Andrew Falk and Brody Pickette scored three more runs.  With Kyle Garrett up, he singled to center field which got Pickette to third, and then scored on an error from the center fielder.  Matt House added the sixth hit of the inning to score Garrett as it was now 16-2 Hornets.
• In the sixth, the Hornets continued to pour it on with a lead off single from Bucher before Madagan was hit for the second time.  Jonathan Stokely hit a pinch-hit single down the line to score Bucher.  Pickette hit into a double play, but Cameron Carrow, who came on to run for Madagan, scored on the play.
• In the seventh, Bell gave up a lead off single but got out of trouble with a double play as he got the final out of inning without any damage. 
• Michael Meyers took over for Bell in the 8^th and gave up a single, but the Eagles could not get anything else cooking as Meyers stranded the runner.
• Colin Miller came in for the ninth and surrendered four hits in the inning and two runs, but the Hornet lead was too much for the Eagles to overcome.

 
UP NEXT:
 
The Hornets are back in action tomorrow when the Averett Cougars will come to Winchester for a conference doubleheader that was originally scheduled for Saturday, but due to the impending weather has been moved to Friday.  First pitch for game one is scheduled for noon.
 
#GoSUHornets
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