VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia - The Virginia Wesleyan baseball team opened the 2022 season with an 8-3 in their single midweek game against the Castleton University on Wednesday afternoon at Kenneth R. Perry Field at TowneBank Park in Virginia Beach, VA.
GAME RUNDOWN
Score: Virginia Wesleyan 8 - Castleton 3
Records: Virginia Wesleyan 1-0 | Castleton 0-1
Location: Kenneth R. Perry Field at TowneBank Park | Virginia Beach, VA
GAME RUNDOWN
The Marlins started things off hot scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning as back-to-back doubles, one each from Matt Sinko and Garrett Lyons, scored Trent Hanchey and Sinko. VWU added to their lead in the bottom of the second with Jake Ness crossing home plate off a Jaelen Hines groundout to go up 3-0 after two.
Virginia Wesleyan held Castleton scoreless in the third and fourth innings while added a fourth run to their total in the bottom of the fourth inning as a Ronaldo Del Duca single to left field scored Hines from second.
The Spartans found the scoreboard in the top of fifth inning on a passed ball that put the score at 4-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth. CU pulled within one, 4-3, in the top of the sixth inning on a two RBI double to right center field from Jake O'Brien but a double-play by the Marlins ended the inning giving VWU momentum heading into the bottom of the sixth.
In a Sinko at-bat, the catcher doubled to shallow right field scoring Hines and Hanchey increasing the Marlins lead to 6-3. VWU combined over the next three innings to hold the Spartans scoreless including one-two-three innings in the top of the eighth and ninth.
Virginia Wesleyan scored two more runs in the bottom of the eighth with Hines scoring on a throwing error by the catcher and Lyons scoring Hanchey on his third double of the game putting VWU's up 8-3 to claim the win.
KEY STATS
- Matt Sinko led the Marlins offense with three RBI on two hits, both doubles, in four at-bats. Sinko also scored once.
- Garrett Lyons in five at-bats recorded three hits, all doubles, and tallied two RBI.
- Jaelen Hines and Trent Hanchey each recorded three runs in the game.
- Robert Cook (W: 1-0) threw five innings (93 pitches) giving up one run while striking out nine batters and walking five of 21 batters faced.
- The win against the Spartans was the first time since 2018 that VWU won their season opener.
NEXT UP
Virginia Wesleyan returns to action this weekend when they head to Montgomery, Alabama for the Huntingdon Firehouse Classic hosted by Huntingdon College. The Marlins will play the Mississippi University for Women on Friday at 1 PM EST. VWU will play hosts Huntingdon on Saturday at 4:30 PM and close the tournament with a 1 PM game against Mount St. Joseph University on Sunday.
