The Virginia Wesleyan University baseball team (5-24-1, 4-11-1 ODAC) fell to Ferrum 10-9 in game one and 9-6 in game two.
Game One:
The Marlins started strong as
Michael Burton Jr. hit a lead-off triple to left-center field before
Matt Sinko hit a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Burton to lead 1-0.
Connor Hall was hit by a pitch to reach first, then stole second and reached third on an error by the catcher. With runners on the corners,
Samuel Kasprow singled to left field that brought Hall home to give Virginia Wesleyan a 2-0 lead.
The Panthers scored three runs in the bottom of the first to take a 3-2 lead. However, Virginia Wesleyan tied the game in the second as
Chris Mitchell Jr. was hit by a pitch and stole second, followed by a single from
James Gifford that put runners on the corners. Burton singled through the left side to score Mitchell and tie the game at 3-3.
Ferrum regained the lead in the third by scoring three runs. The Marlins scored one in the fourth. Mitchell walked before Gifford hit a double to right center field to put runners on first and third for
Michael Burton Jr. Burton hit a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Mitchell to cut the lead to 6-4.
The host scored two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to extend their lead to 8-4.
Virginia Wesleyan fought back in the seventh and scored three runs to cut the lead to 8-7.
Jaelen Hines walked, then
Matt Sinko singled through the left side putting runners on first and second. Hall doubled down the right field line to score Hines and advance Sinko to third.
Trent Hanchey followed Hall with another double to right field that scored Sinko and Hall. The Panthers added a run in the eighth to increase their lead to 9-7.
The Marlins never gave up and scored two runs in the ninth to tie the game.
Chase James was hit by a pitch, and
Jake Ness came in the pinch run. Mitchell singled through the left side to move Ness to second, and
Zion Spearman walked to load the bases for Burton.
Michael Burton Jr. reached first on an error and scored Ness and Mitchell that tied the game at 9-9.
The game went into the tenth inning, but Ferrum scored in the bottom of the inning to claim a 10-9 victory.
Michael Burton Jr. went 3-for-5 with a double and triple, scored one run, and had two RBI,
Trent Hanchey went 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI, and
Samuel Kasprow went 2-for-4 with one RBI.
Cam Nolet started on the mound and pitched 3.1 innings, allowed eight runs off 11 hits, and struck out five.
Game Two:
The Marlins scored in the first inning,
Michael Burton Jr. walked, stole second, and moved to third as
Trent Hanchey flew out to center field.
Matt Sinko singled through the left side to score Burton to lead 1-0.
Virginia Wesleyan extended their lead to 3-0 in the second as
Jaelen Hines singled up the middle,
Samuel Kasprow singled up the middle, and
Ryan Ballard walked to load the bases for
Keegan Megaro who hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Hines.
Michael Burton Jr. walked to load the bases, then
Trent Hanchey hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Kasprow to lead Ferrum 3-0. Ferrum countered by scoring two runs in the second to cut the lead to 3-2.
In the third inning,
Chris Mitchell Jr. reached on an error by the shortstop and moved to second on a wild pitch. Then,
Jaelen Hines doubled to right center scoring Mitchell and increasing their lead to 4-2. The Panthers scored three runs in the third to take a 5-4 lead.
The Marlins tied the game at 5-5 in the fourth, as Michael Burton homered to left field.
Each team scored a run in the sixth to keep the game tied.
Trent Hanchey doubled to right center and stole third before
Matt Sinko singled up the middle to score Hanchey.
Ferrum registered three runs in the seventh to lead 9-6. The Panthers' pitching kept the Marlins' bats in check and went on to win the game.
Matt Sinko led the offense as he went 2-for-5 with two RBI,
Michael Burton Jr. went 1-for-3 with a home run, scored two runs, and had one RBI,
Jaelen Hines went 2-for-3 with a double, scored one run, and had one RBI.
Nick Beatty pitched well in relief as he pitched 4.0 innings, and allowed four runs on six hits.