VIRGINIA BEACH -- Persistence paid off Wednesday for Virginia Wesleyan College's baseball team.

Trailing Hampden-Sydney 2-0 after seven innings, the Marlins remained focused and enthusiastic.  That helped fuel a four-run eighth inning that catapulted VWC to a 4-2 Old Dominion Athletic Conference win over the Tigers in the second game of a twinbill at Marlins Field.  H-SC won the first game 6-1.

Virginia Wesleyan forced the split in comeback fashion however, after Pike Brynildsen (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams) singled and Matt Ittner (Virginia Beach/Frank W. Cox) boarded base after being hit by a pitch.  A Josh Miller (Norfolk, Va./Greenbrier Christian) single put the first VWC run on the scoreboard.

Anthony Siracusa (Auburn, N.Y./Auburn) kept things rolling with a single to load the bases, bringing up Billy Crowe (Bath, N.Y./Haverling), who patiently waited out a walk to drive in the game-tying run.  That's when the big hit came to be when rookie Alex Lambert (Virginia Beach/Ocean Lakes) drilled a single into right field to send two runs home.  H-SC recovered after that to turn a double play that ended the inning.

But, VWC led 4-2 entering the ninth and held on impressive as the visiting Tigers fell 1-2-3 in their final inning at bat.

Siracusa pitched the distance for the Marlins, facing 37 batters in nine innings.  He struck out four, walked only one, and scattered seven hits and two earned runs.  He was also a leading hitter for VWC with a pair of singles.  Lambert also had a pair of singles in VWC's seven-hit offense.

Dan Nicoll (Centreville, Va./Bishop Ireton) started on the mound for H-SC and worked five innings.  Luke Rabiej (Alexandria, Va./Bishop Ireton) finished.  Both pitchers struck out a pair of batters.  Chris Hamlett (Midlothian, Va./Cosby) led H-SC hitting with a triple and single.  Beau Flincham (Ashland, Va./Hanover) added two singles.

In the opener, the Tigers took control with three runs in the first two innings. VWC cut into the spread with a solo run in the bottom of the third, when Brynildsen hit a hard shot that scored Evan Polk (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge).  Polk singled to lead off the inning.

But, after that the offense sputtered for the Marlins.  VWC fell 1-2-3 in the fourth, sixth, seventh, and ninth innings.

Virginia Wesleyan finished with five hits, led by Crowe with two.  Alex Tucci (Stewartstown, Pa./York Catholic) started on the mound for VWC and faced 14 batters.  He struck out three and gave up four hits and two earned runs.  Brooks Kirby (Warwickshire, U.K./Cobham), Ryan Brinkley (Virginia Beach/Tallwood), and Justin Payne (Groton, N.Y./Lansing) all followed on the mound.

Zach Whitaker (Roanoke, Va./Patrick Henry) pitched all nine innings for H-SC.  He struck out six batters, allowed two walks and gave up just one earned run

H-SC finished with 11 hits, led by Jordan Wind (Tappahannock, Va./Essex) with a double and single and Patrick Kuhns (Stafford, Va./North Stafford) with two singles.

Virginia Wesleyan returns to action on Friday, April 20, host No. 2 ranked Christopher Newport University at 3 p.m.  The Marlins also host Eastern Mennonite University, beginning at 12 p.m., on Saturday, April 21 in Senior Day, and then close the regular season on Sunday, April 22, hosting Shenandoah University at 2 p.m.

--AMDG--