WINCHESTER, Va. – The Shenandoah University baseball team continued the start of its season by welcoming Juniata College to Kevin Anderson Field. The Hornets (6-2) split their second doubleheader of the weekend, winning the first game 11-1 before falling in the nightcap 5-3.
In the first game, the offense exploded for 11 runs on 17 hits, with Nick Bell picking up the win in his first appearance of the season. Noah Cornwell went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs, while Connor Houser also went 3-for-4, driving in four runs with two doubles.
In the second game, the Hornets managed three runs on five hits. Jaime Padilla led off the game with a home run, and Brody Bower was the only other Hornet with an extra-base hit
Joe Gleason made his second start of the season for the Hornets. After issuing a leadoff walk, he settled in with a strikeout, picked off the runner at first, and induced a groundout to end the inning.
When the Hornets came to bat in the first, Padilla led off with a single to the opposite field. Cornwell followed with a drive to the gap in left-center, scoring Padilla from first. Brody Pickette lined a ball to second and advanced on an error before coming home on a Houser double, giving the Hornets a 3-0 lead heading into the second.
In his second inning of work, Gleason retired the Eagles in order with a popup, a groundout, and a swinging strikeout. The Hornets were also retired in order in the bottom half.
Gleason started the third but walked the first two batters he faced, prompting a call to the bullpen. Bell made his season debut, allowing an RBI single to center before getting a double-play grounder and another groundout to end the inning, limiting the damage to one run. The Hornets were retired in order in their half of the third.
Bell remained on the mound in the fourth, striking out the first batter before issuing a one-out walk. He induced another ground ball, which Keister and Carver turned into an inning-ending double play. In the bottom half, the Hornets got a single from Liam Cook, but he was picked off at first, and the inning ended with Shenandoah still leading 3-1.
In the fifth, Bell allowed two singles but escaped the inning with another ground ball. The Hornets then added to their lead as Christian Carver led off with a single, Padilla reached on an error, and Cornwell walked. Houser followed with his second double of the game, clearing the bases to give Shenandoah a 6-1 advantage.
Michael Meyers took over in the sixth and, after allowing a one-out single, got two groundouts back to the mound to end the inning. Carver doubled with two outs in the bottom half, but the Hornets couldn't capitalize.
Meyers set the Eagles down in order in the seventh. The Hornets then broke the game open, adding four runs on seven hits in the bottom of the inning. Padilla led off with a single, followed by a two-run blast to right field from Cornwell. Pickette doubled, and Cook, Garrett, and Carver all followed with hits, pushing the lead further.
Meyers returned for the eighth, recording two quick outs before issuing a walk and allowing a single. He ended the threat with a strikeout. In the bottom of the inning, Cornwell led off with a double to right-center, and Daulton Stewart followed with an RBI double down the left-field line, scoring Kemper Omps and invoking the 10-run rule to secure the 11-1 victory.
In the second game, Blaine Griffin got the start and, after allowing a two-out double, ended the inning with a strikeout. In the bottom half, Padilla continued his hot start to the season, leading off with a home run to right field to give Shenandoah a 1-0 lead.
Griffin worked around two walks in the second, keeping the Eagles off the board. The Hornets had an opportunity to extend their lead after putting two runners in scoring position but couldn't convert.
In the third, Griffin struggled, loading the bases with one out before being replaced by Kody Dobyns. The Eagles tied the game on a wild pitch and then took the lead with a two-run single to center. After another wild pitch and an RBI single, Juniata led 4-1.
The Eagles tacked on another run in the fourth off Dominic D'Ottavio, who surrendered two doubles. Meanwhile, the Hornets' bats went silent through the middle innings.
Jackson Sherman took over in the sixth and recorded one out in the seventh before being lifted for Omps in a lefty-on-lefty matchup. After facing one batter, Omps was replaced by Ryan Seifert, who got the final out of the inning.
The Hornets mounted a rally in the eighth. Cornwell reached on an error, and with one out, Houser singled through the right side before being replaced by pinch-runner Cole Ambrosius. Jackson Simko moved both runners into scoring position, setting up Carver, who singled to center to drive in two runs, cutting the deficit to 5-3. Bower then doubled to right-center, putting two runners in scoring position, but Shenandoah couldn't push across any more runs.
Juniata threatened in the ninth after Carl Keenan allowed a leadoff ground-rule double, but he retired the next two batters to end the inning. In the Hornets' final at-bat, Padilla walked and reached third, but the rally fell short as the Eagles secured the final out.
UP NEXT
The Hornets return home this weekend for the Mr. V Memorial Classic, beginning Friday when Immaculata comes to town. Cortland and Wittenberg will also compete in the four-team event.
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