The Virginia Wesleyan University baseball team (1-1) split in a season-opening doubleheader against Methodist on the road. Taking game one with a 2-1 win, and falling 6-1 in game two.
Game One:
Brandon Drewry had an excellent start to the season as he recorded the win pitching 6.0 innings, allowed two hits, one earned run, and six strikeouts, and teammate
Zach Miller came in and recorded the save as he pitched 3.0 innings, allowed zero runs, one hit, and recorded two strikeouts.
Gino Meienschein led the Marlins going 2-for-4 and scored one run,
Joshua Jones went 1-for-4 at bat and scored one run, and
Darius Walston was 0-for-3, but recorded the only RBI for the Marlins as he drove in the game-winning run in the fourth.
Both teams opened the contest with dominant pitching in the first inning, as each side went down in order. The Marlins picked up their first hit in the second inning when Meiensche singled to right center, but three consecutive strikeouts stranded him on base. Methodist also struggled to generate early offense, as Virginia Wesleyan pitchers retired the side in order in the second and third innings.
After a quiet third, the Marlins broke through in the top of the fourth. Meiensche singled up the middle to spark the rally, and J. Jones followed with a single through the right side to put two runners aboard. N. Bryant then reached on a fielder's choice and advanced on a throwing error by the shortstop, allowing Meiensche to cross the plate for the game's first run. Later in the inning, D. Walston drew a walk with the bases loaded to bring home Jones and extend the lead to 2-0. Although the inning ended with a double play, the damage was done.
Methodist answered with a run in the bottom half of the fourth. After a single and two stolen bases put a runner on third, J. Kuhn delivered an RBI single through the left side to trim the lead to 2-1. The Monarchs threatened further after an error, but the Marlins worked out of the inning without additional damage.
From there, the game turned into a pitcher's duel. Virginia Wesleyan stranded a runner in the fifth after N. Valentin walked and stole second, and both sides were kept off the scoreboard through the sixth and seventh innings. Z. Miller entered in relief in the seventh and helped preserve the lead, working around a walk and a wild pitch without allowing a run.
Methodist mounted one last push in the eighth when a two-out single and a passed ball moved a runner into scoring position, but the Marlins recorded the final out to maintain the 2-1 edge.
In the ninth, Virginia Wesleyan went down in order, setting up a tense bottom half. The Monarchs put the tying run on base with a leadoff walk, but the Marlins turned a crucial 2-6-3 double play to erase the threat. A two-out walk and wild pitch put the potential tying run in scoring position, yet the Marlins sealed the win with a called strikeout to end the game.
Game Two:
Jacob Lawrence started game two and pitched 4.0 innings, allowed six hits, three runs, two earned runs, and tallied six strikeouts.
Matthew Weber was the best pitcher in relief as he pitched 2.0 innings, allowed one hit, and registered two strikeouts.
Ty James led the Marlins offense as he went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
Jason Caccavaro was 1-for-3 at bat and scored the lone run for VWU, and teammate
Nick Valentin was 1-for-4 with a double.
The Virginia Wesleyan University Marlins received an early spark from J. Caccavaro and T. James in game two, but were unable to sustain the momentum in a 6-1 loss to Methodist University. Caccavaro reached base twice and ignited the offense in the opening frame, while James delivered the Marlins' lone RBI with a run-scoring double. Despite several late opportunities and strong defensive moments, Virginia Wesleyan could not overcome a multi-run second inning and late insurance runs from the Monarchs.
The Marlins struck first in the top of the first inning. Caccavaro singled to right field, stole second, and advanced to third on a wild pitch to immediately put pressure on the defense. With one out, James doubled to right field to bring Caccavaro home and give Virginia Wesleyan a 1-0 lead.
Methodist responded in the bottom of the second inning. After a leadoff double and a groundout moved the runner to third, a dropped fly ball in right field allowed the tying run to score. A subsequent RBI single pushed the Monarchs ahead 2-1. The inning could have grown larger, but the Marlins escaped with the damage limited to two runs despite three hits and an error.
Virginia Wesleyan threatened in the fourth inning by loading the bases on three walks, but the Marlins were unable to push a run across. Methodist added to its lead in the bottom half of the fourth, using aggressive baserunning and wild pitches to extend the margin to 3-1.
In the fifth inning, the Monarchs capitalized on a throwing error and added another unearned run on an RBI single to take a 4-1 advantage. The Marlins had chances to chip away, including a sixth-inning single from N. Bryant and a leadoff double by N. Valentin in the eighth that moved to third with one out, but timely outs from Methodist kept Virginia Wesleyan off the board.
The Monarchs put the game out of reach in the eighth inning, drawing three walks and scoring two runs to stretch the lead to 6-1.
Virginia Wesleyan showed fight in the ninth as R. Rollins delivered a pinch-hit single and I. Dozier worked a walk to bring the tying run to the on-deck circle, but the rally was cut short to end the contest.
