WINCHESTER, Va. – The Shenandoah University baseball team wrapped up their conference regular season with Ferrum on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Winchester. The Hornets (25-13, 14-8) beat the Panthers 13-1 in dominating fashion. With the win, the Hornets locked up the number 3 seed in the upcoming ODAC playoffs, and will now host Guilford in a best-of-three series starting next weekend. The win is also the Hornets' first back-to-back wins since they defeated EMU and Dickinson on March 26
th and 27
th.
Nick Bell picked up his third win of the season, pitched five innings of one-run baseball, and did not give up his first hit until the third inning. The Hornets had six extra-base hits in the game, with
Gavin Horning having three of them, two doubles, and an absolute missile over the scoreboard.
Pearce Bucher and
Matt House also went yard for the Hornets while
Haden Madagan blasted a double and played fantastic defense.
Winning Pitcher:
Nick Bell (3-3)
Losing Pitcher: Jordan Smith (0-3)
Top Numbers:
Gavin Horning: 3-4, 3 runs scored, 2 RBI, 2 doubles, 1 home run, 1 sac fly
Pearce Bucher: 2-4, 2 runs scored, 3 RBI, 1 home run
Chandler Ballenger: 2-3, 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, 2 walks
Matt House: 1-2, 2 runs scored, 3 RBI, 1 home run, 2 walks
Nick Bell: winning pitcher, 5 IP, 3 hits, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 strikeouts, 3 walks
Kody Dobyns: 1 IP, 0 hits, 2 strikeouts, 1 walk
Blaine Griffin: 1 IP, 0 hits, 2 strikeouts, 1 walk
Jacob Gilbert: 1 IP, 0 hits, 3 strikeouts
Ryan Seifert: 1 IP, 0 hits, 1 strikeout
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Nick Bell got the start for the Hornets in the regular season finale and got the first two outs with ease, on a strikeout-looking, and a ground ball to Bucher. Bell gave up a two-out walk, but then induced another ground ball to end the inning.
- Frankie Ritter led the first off with a bullet to left field, but right at the fielder. With two outs in the inning, Gavin Horning roped a double down the left field line. Chandler Ballenger sent a ball back up the middle to score Horning easily for a 1-0 lead. Haden Madagan doubled to right center. The Hornets took advantage of an error and Ballenger to scored easily to make it 2-0.
- Haden Madagan made a fantastic, diving, acrobatic catch for the first out in the second to save extra bases. Bell got the second out with a strikeout before an easy fly ball to Arrichiello in center ended the inning.
- Connor Houser led the second inning off with a walk, after a strikeout, Matt House drew a walk before Frankie Ritter singled up the middle to load the bases. Anthony Arrichiello hit a ball sharply to first that kicked off the glove of the fielder allowing two runners to score. Gavin Horning then flew out to right, but deep enough for Ritter to score from third to make it 5-0.
- Bell surrendered a lead-off walk in the third before getting the first a fly out to left, and a ground ball to first. But the Panthers took advantage of a throwing error to move the runner to third, but Bell got out of the inning with a ground out to third.
- Pearce Bucher lined a one-out single in left field before Brody Pickette walked with two outs. Matt House deposited the first pitch he saw over the left field fence to make it 8-0. Ritter was the next batter, and put a charge into a pitch, but flew out to the warning track to end the inning.
- Gavin Horning doubled for the second time, with one out, before Chandler Ballenger walked to put two runners on. Pearce Bucher then crushed a ball to left field for the second, three-run homer of the game.
- Bell got the first two outs in the fifth, but then a walk and back-to-back base hits gave the Panthers their first run of the game.
- The Hornets had two runners reach with walks, but they were stranded as the Hornets continued to lead 11-1.
- Kody Dobyns took over for Nick Bell in the sixth and got the first batter to ground out to Ritter, before issuing a walk. Dobyns got the next batter looking on strikes before getting the final out with a swinging strikeout.
- Chandler Ballenger drew a walk to lead off the sixth, and Haden Madagan was hit by a pitch and replaced by Kyle Garrett to run at first base. Bucher tattooed a ball, but right at the second baseman which led to a double play. Jonathan Stokely took over for Houser as the DH and walked before Pickette singled through the right side to make it a 12-1 game.
- Blaine Griffin took over in the seventh and worked around a walk as he picked up two strikeouts and a fly ball to get out of the inning.
- With two outs in the seventh, Gavin Horning crushed his third extra-base hit of the game as the ball went 436 feet over the left field fence to make it a 13-1 game. Chandler Ballenger followed that up with a single but was stranded on first.
- Jacob Gilbert took over for Griffin in the eighth and struck out the side, all swinging.
- After the Hornets were retired in their half of the eighth, Ryan Seifert came on to pinch the ninth and made light work of the Panthers as he also retired all three batters he faced to secure the 13-1 victory.
UP NEXT:
The Hornets will wrap up the regular season home slate of games tomorrow, as York College of Pennsylvania comes to town for a 3 pm start. Before the game, Shenandoah will honor the senior class of 2024.
#GoSUHornets
