VIRGINIA BEACH -- Runners were in scoring position throughout the game for the Virginia Wesleyan College baseball Marlins on Monday, but the big hits to knock them in continued to be elusive. (Box score)

Virginia Wesleyan finished with one less hit than Ferrum College, but the Panthers capitalized on the shots they got to post a 5-2 non-conference win at Marlins Field.

Virginia Wesleyan (7-12) took the early lead with a run in the bottom of the first when sophomore Jacob Pierce (Chesapeake, Va./Western Branch) doubled in Myle Shipp (Virginia Beach/First Colonial), who reached base earlier on an error.

Ferrum (9-9) tied the game with a run in the top of the fourth when Travis Crump (Hardyville, Va./Middlesex) led off with a triple and scored on a grounder by Caleb Dorton (Buchanan, Va./James River).

VWC came right back in the bottom of the inning however, regaining the lead at 2-1.  Gage Collins (Newport News, Va./Menchville) tripled and scored on a single from Josh Miller (Norfolk, Va./Chesapeake Greenbrier Christian). 

But, that's where the scoring ended for the Marlins, despite leaving a runner on in the fifth, two in the sixth, three in the seventh and one more in the ninth.

Ferrum kept plugging away tacked on two-run innings in the fifth and sixth to slip out of town with the win.

Pierce and Miller both finished 3-for-4 at the plate for VWC, with Pierce's day including a pair of doubles. 

Crump led Ferrum with three hits.

Sophomore Jeremy Hagwood (Suffolk, Va./Lakeland) started on the mound for VWC and took the loss after five innings.  He struck out four batters, walked four and allowed six hits and three earned runs.  Rookie Reid Hoffler (Chesapeake, Va./Nansemond River) and junior Tyler Tweedy (Yorktown, Va./Chesapeake Greenbrier Christian) both pitched two innings of relief.  Tweedy struck out three and allowed just one hit.

Brandon West (Rustburg, Va./Rustburg) pitched the first five innings for Ferrum and took the win.  He struck out two, walked two, and gave up five hits and one earned run.

Virginia Wesleyan competes again on Tuesday, Mar. 15, motoring to Fayetteville, N.C., to take on the Monarchs of Methodist University in a non-conference game beginning at 4 p.m. The Monarchs are currently 14-7.

--AMDG--