The Virginia Wesleyan University baseball team (10-5, 2-1) battled early but couldn't keep pace late as the Marlins fell 9-2 to No. 11 Shenandoah University.
On the mound, Brandon Drewry got the start and allowed three runs over four innings while striking out three. Mason Sylvest, Jacob Lawrence, and Will Turner combined to finish the game in relief.
Virginia Wesleyan threatened first in the third inning when Nick Valentin and Gino Meienschein delivered back-to-back singles, and Marcell Whitfield worked a walk to load the bases with two outs. However, the Hornets escaped the jam to keep the game scoreless.
The game stayed even through three innings before Shenandoah broke through with a three-run fourth inning to take the early lead.
The Marlins finally answered in the seventh. James Tassone started the rally with a single, followed by a base hit from Reynaldo Perez Mendez. After an error loaded the bases, Valentin lined an RBI single through the right side to score Tassone and get Wesleyan on the board. Moments later, Meienschein brought home another run on a fielder's choice to cut the deficit to 3-2.
Virginia Wesleyan had the momentum, but Shenandoah responded in the eighth with two runs. The Hornets then added four more runs in the ninth to pull away.
The Marlins finished with seven hits in the contest. Valentin led the offense with two hits and an RBI, while Meienschein also drove in a run. Whitfield added a hit and two walks, and Tassone and Perez Mendez each recorded hits during the seventh-inning rally.
