TYSON'S CORNER, Va. – The Shenandoah University Hornets started the second weekend of the ODAC Tournament as the three-seed against the second-seeded Roanoke Maroons. In the regular season, the Hornets and Maroons split in Winchester a month in early April.
Michael Meyers started for the Hornets and went the first three innings, giving up six hits and two runs before being lifted.
Frankie Ritter picked up three hits for the Hornets with an RBI, while
Brody Pickette was the other Hornet with multiple hits with two.
Gavin Horning gave the Hornets the lead in the second with a blast into the picnic area in left center. Shenandoah tacked on four more runs to take a 5-0 before Roanoke stormed back with 10 unanswered runs. The Hornets chipped away with three runs in the eighth before tying it in the 9
th on a fielder's choice. The Hornets got into a jam with two walks to start the ninth but fought back to get the next two outs. However, Roanoke scored for the walk-off win on a wild pitch and fell 11-10.
Winning Pitcher: Anthony Sullivan (2-1)
Losing Pitcher:
Joey Mitchell (5-2)
Top Numbers:
Frankie Ritter: 3-5, 1 run scored, 1 RBI, 1 double
Kyle Garrett: 1-5, 1 run scored, 3 RBI, 1 double
Gavin Horning: 1-4, 1 run scored, 1 RBI, 1 home run
Chandler Ballenger: 1-5, 1 RBI
Haden Madagan: 1-4, 2 runs scored
Brody Pickette: 2-2, 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, 2 walks
Noah Cornwell: 1-1, 1 run scored, 1 RBI
Kody Dobyns: 2 IP, 0 hits, 1 walk
Michael Meyers: 3 IP, 6 hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 3 strikeouts, 2 walks
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Roanoke retired the Hornets in order in the top of the first with two fly balls and a grounder to third.
- Michael Meyers got the start for the Hornets on the mound and issued a lead-off walk. A single to right field was the Maroons first hit, but on a ball that bounced right in front of Gavin Horning, picked it up and threw a strike to third to get the runner for the first out. With another full count, Meyers got his first strikeout of the game for the second out. With a runner on first, Meyers got the final out of the inning with a swinging strike, and the score remained tied at 0 heading to the second.
- Gavin Horning took the first pitch he saw in the top of the second and blasted it into the picnic area to give the Hornets a 1-0 lead. However, after the home run, the Hornets were retired on three straight fly balls.
- The Maroons led the second off with a seeing-eye single through the right side as House was shaded up the middle with a righty at the plate. The runner at first was erased trying to steal second, and then Meyers got the swinging strike for his third of the game and second out of the inning. Even with the hit, the Meyers faced the minimum in the inning as Ritter threw the batter out at first.
- Brody Pickette led the third off for the second straight inning with a hit, followed by a single through the left side with Matt House. Frankie Ritter put a bunt down to sacrifice the runners over, but it was a beauty and Ritter beat the throw. Kyle Garrett then took the first pitch he saw and tucked it inside the left third base line to score all three runners with a double. With two outs, Pearce Bucher crushed a ball off the wall for a double and he traded places with Garrett at second as the Hornets took a 5-0 lead.
- In the bottom of the inning, the Maroons led off with a home run of their own to cut into the Hornets' 5-0 lead. Meyers settled down to get the first out of the inning on a ground ball back to Meyers, before hitting the next batter. Meyers got the next out on a fly ball to right but gave up a single past a diving Pearce Bucher to put two runners on with two outs, but no further damage was done as Meyers got the final out of the inning.
- Brody Pickette drew a walk with one out before Matt House lined out softly to second for the second out of the inning, but Pickette was left stranded as the Maroons got out of the inning.
- A lead-off walk by Meyers in the fourth was his second of the game. That runner got to second on a passed ball. A double off the wall brought another run home for the Maroons with nobody out in the inning. A single put runners on the corners, but the runner from first advanced to second on the throw, before being lifted from the game. Jackson Sherman took over for Meyers with two runners on and still no one out in the inning. Sherman got the first out of the inning with a strikeout, and the Hornets caught a break with a runner's interference for the first out. Then the next batter tried to put a squeeze bunt down, but Bucher had the play read beautifully as he was step for step with the runner before shuffling the ball home to Pickette to get the out at the plate. Sherman got a one-hopper back to Ballenger at first for the final out of the inning.
- With two outs, Gavin Horning reached first with an error and promptly stole second, but was stranded in scoring position as the Maroons got out of the jam.
- The Maroons led the fifth off with a double, but Sherman got the first out on a foul ball caught by Ritter. Sherman walked the next batter with a four-pitch walk to put two runners on with only one out. A single to center loaded the bases for the Maroons. The third hit of the inning, kept the bases loaded and brought home a run to make it 5-3. Roanoke cleared the bases on a grand slam to take their first lead of the game at 7-5 giving away to Brian Ferreira. Ferreira got a sky-high popup to Ritter for the second out of the inning, before retiring the final batter of the inning on a fly ball to Horning.
- Brody Pickette drew a two-out walk but was stranded as the Maroons kept a 7-5 lead.
- For the first time in the game, Ferreira, and the Hornets, retired the Maroons in order for the sixth.
- Ritter led the seventh off with a line-drive double. Ballenger grounded to second with one out but allowed Ritter to get to third. Gavin Horning drew a walk, after being down in the count 0-2. The runners were stranded on the corners, as the Maroons were able to get out of the jam.
- Ferreira issued back-to-back walks to Roanoke in the seventh, before being lifted for Ryan Seifert. A single to left increased the lead to 8-5 as the Maroons still had two runners on with nobody out. An RBI double increased the lead to 9-5, as both runners were in scoring position. Kody Dobyns came in for relief of Seifert to try and stop the bleeding. Dobyns got the first out with a strikeout swinging, but Roanoke still had two runners on. A one-out walk loaded the bases for the Maroons, before a sac fly to left made it a 10-5 Roanoke lead. Shenandoah got out of the inning with a fielder's choice to second, but not before Roanoke added three more runs in the inning.
- The Hornets finally got to the Roanoke bullpen, and with one out Haden Madagan was hit by a pitch before a pitch hit Brody Pickette to put two runners on with an out. Noah Cornwell entered the game as a pinch hitter and doubled to the corner in left to score a run, and put two runners in scoring position. Frankie Ritter singled center field, his third of the game, as Pickette scored and Cornwell moved to third. Chandler Ballenger laced a single through the right side to score Cornwell and move Ritter to third. The Hornets got three back in the inning and cut the deficit to 10-8 as Shenandoah left runners on the corners.
- For only the second time, Dobyns and the Hornets retired the Maroons in order as they came to bat in the ninth, down to their final three outs down two.
- With one out, Connor Houser roped a single through the right side before being lifted for a pinch runner at first. Vandrey, who came in to run advanced to second a passed ball. Haden Madagan singled through the right side to put runners on the corners. Brody Pickette singled to right center to score Vandrey and cut the deficit to one and move to Madagan to third. Jaime Padilla reached on a fielder's choice which allowed Madagan to score the tying run, but was erased trying to steal second.
- Joey Mitchell came in to keep the game tied at 10 in the ninth but walked the first two batters to start the inning. The Maroons sacrificed the runners to scoring position, as Mitchell got the first out. With the infield drawn in, Mitchell got a weak ground ball to Ritter for the second out. Mitchell bounced a ball that got behind Pickette as the Maroons scored for the walk-off win on a wild pitch.
UP NEXT:
The Hornets have their backs against the walls as they entered the loser's bracket and will need to fight back. The Hornets will take on Randolph-Macon in the first elimination of the day at 11 am.
#GoSUHornets
