The Virginia Wesleyan University baseball team (8-16, 4-12 ODAC) defeated EMU 9-8 in the bottom of the ninth in game one and won game two 19-9.
Game One:
Edgar Harwood led the team going 3-for-5 with a double and a triple, one RBI, and scored two runs, Marcell Whitfield was 2-for-5, tallied two RBI, and scored one run. Nathan Bryant went 3-for-4 with a home run, and had two RBI.
Jack McDowell played well as he pitched 5.0 innings, allowed five hits, five runs, one earned run and recorded three strikeouts. Zach Miller registered the win as the Marlins walked off in the bottom of the ninth. Miller pitched 0.1 innings and allowed one hit.
After two scoreless innings, the Royals scored first after scoring three runs on two hits, and three errors. However, the Marlins responded in the bottom of the third as Edgar Harwood doubled to right center field followed by a single from Marcell Whitefield to score Harwood from second. Next, Nick Valntin single through the left side to put runners first and second, and John Bastiaans was walked to load up the bases. With the bases loaded, Joshua Jones singled up the middle to score Valentin and Whitfield to tie the game at 3-3.
Eastern Mennonite scored a run in the top of the sixth to take a 4-3 lead.
Virginia Wesleyan countered in the seventh inning as Keegan Megaro reached first with an error from the shortstop. Then, Harwood triple to right center field to score Megaro and tie the game at 4-4. Marcell Whitfield added another run with an RBI single through the left side to score Harwood and give VWU a 5-4 lead.
The Royals scored one run in the top of the eighth to tie the game at 5 all. However, Nathan Bryant hit a lead-off home run in the bottom of the eighth to take a 6-5 lead.
In the top of the ninth, EMU scored three runs on three hits and two errors to take an 8-6 lead.
Virginia Wesleyan rallied in the bottom of the ninth as Edgar Harwood led off with a single. Then, John Bastiaans homered to right field to tie the game at 8-8. Joshua Jones singled to left field and stole second before Bryant who hit a single down the right field line to score Jones from second and give the Marlins the 9-8 win.
Game Two:
Nick Valentin led the Marlins going 4-for-5 with a double and a home run, scored two runs, with four RBI, Edgar Hardwood went 2-for-5 with a home run, scored two runs, and had three RBI, and John Bastiaans was 2-for-4 with a home run, scored one run, and tallied four RBI.
Virginia Wesleyan erupted for 19 runs across eight innings in a dominant offensive performance, taking down their opponent 19–9. The Marlins set the tone early with a five-run outburst in the first two innings and never looked back.
The Royals scored early in the game, with three runs in the top of the first to lead 3-0.
In the bottom of the first, the Marlins wasted no time getting on the board. Edgar Harwood led off with a single to left center, followed by a perfectly placed infield single from Marcell Whitfield. Nick Valentin then drove in the game's first run with a double to center, plating Harwood. John Bastiaans followed with a clutch single through the right side, driving in both Whitfield and Valentin. After stealing second, Bastiaans was stranded as the next three batters went down in order. Still, Va. Wesleyan had jumped ahead, 3–0.
The offense continued rolling in the second inning. Owon Mathews singled up the middle to get things started, and Keegan Megaro laid down a bunt single to push Mathews to second. After Harwood flew out, Megaro stole second, setting up Marcell Whitfield, who smashed a triple to right center, scoring both runners. Valentin added a sacrifice fly to bring Whitfield home, pushing the lead to 6–3.
The Royals scored two runs in the top of the third to bring the score to 6-5, but the Marlins added another run in the bottom half. Clay Clarke doubled with two outs and came around to score on a misplayed fly ball in right field, allowing Mathews to reach second base. The unearned run extended the lead to 7–5.
In the fourth, the Marlins added to their tally again. After a groundout, Whitfield continued his hot day with another single, and Bastiaans delivered the big blow with a two-run homer to right center, padding the lead to 9–5.
After a quiet fifth inning for most of the lineup, Mathews sparked another rally with a two-out single, and Megaro followed with a double to left center, scoring Mathews for a 10–5 advantage.
The seventh inning saw another explosion. Clarke singled, Mathews walked, and Megaro reached on an error to load the bases. Harwood then delivered a massive three-run homer to center, blowing the game open at 14–8.
VWU didn't stop there. In the eighth, they plated five more runs. Nathan Bryant and Clarke singled to start the frame, and Mathews laid down a bunt single to load the bases. Nick Sylvester knocked an RBI single, and three more runs came across on a combination of a defensive miscue and a two-run homer by Valentin bringing the final tally to 19–9.
