Virginia Wesleyan baseball used a dramatic ninth-inning rally to walk off Guilford College, 10-9 in a wild back-and-forth contest.
Game One:
Marcell Whitfield was 3-for-4, with a double, scored two runs, and led the team with three RBI. Israel Dozier went 3-for-5 with a double, scored one run, with one RBI. Gino Meienschein was 2-for-5, scored three runs, and had one RBI.
The Marlins starter did well, as Brandon Drewry pitched 5.0 innings, allowing eight hits, two runs, one earned run, and three strikeouts. Jacob Lawrence came in relief and pitched 3.1 innings, allowed five hits, three runs, two earned runs, and registered three strikeouts.
After falling behind early, the Marlins began their scoring in the fourth inning. Gino Meienschein led off with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch before Marcell Whitfield lined an RBI single through the left side to tie the game. Whitfield later stole second, and Israel Dozier followed with a single to put runners on the corners. A ground ball double play off the bat of Joshua Jones allowed Whitfield to cross the plate, giving Virginia Wesleyan a 2-1 lead.
The Marlins added another run in the sixth inning. Nick Valentin started the frame with a double down the left-field line and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Whitfield came through again with a run-scoring single to bring Valentin home and push the lead to 3-2.
Virginia Wesleyan broke the game open in the seventh with a five-run inning. James Tassone was hit by a pitch and eventually scored on a sacrifice bunt from Bryce Folmar. Meienschein later delivered an RBI single before Whitfield drove in another run with a double. Dozier followed with an RBI double of his own, and Nathan Bryant added an RBI single that allowed Dozier to score, giving the Marlins an 8-2 advantage.
Guilford mounted a massive comeback in the ninth inning, scoring seven runs to take a 9-8 lead heading into the bottom half of the frame.
The Marlins answered immediately. Meienschein reached on an error to start the inning and stole second before Whitfield moved him to third with a groundout. Dozier singled through the right side to put runners on the corners, and Joshua Jones drew a walk to load the bases. Bryant then worked a bases-loaded walk to force in the tying run. Moments later, Tassone was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, bringing home the winning run and sealing the 10-9 walk-off victory.
Game Two:
Chase Depalma had an outstanding day on the mound, as he pitched 8.0 innings, allowed seven hits, and tallied eight strikeouts. Zach Miller pitched the last 1.0 innings, allowed two hits, and had one strikeout.
Nick Valentin was 2-for-4 with a homer, scored two runs, and had one RBI. Gino Meienschein was 2-for-3 at bat, scored one run, stole a base, and had one RBI. Reynaldo Perez Mendez was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
The Marlins wasted little time getting on the board in the first inning when Nick Valentin launched a solo home run to give Virginia Wesleyan an early 1-0 lead.
Virginia Wesleyan added to its advantage with a four-run fourth inning. Gino Meienschein started the rally with a single and later scored when Israel Dozier reached on a fielder's choice and a Guilford throwing error. Nathan Bryant followed with a sacrifice bunt that brought home Marcell Whitfield, and Reynaldo Perez Mendez later singled through the left side to drive in Ty James. Dozier eventually came home during the sequence to extend the Marlins' lead to 5-0.
The Marlins tacked on two more runs in the seventh. Bryce Folmar singled to start the inning before Nick Valentin reached and moved into scoring position on an error. Meienschein then delivered an RBI single to center field to score Folmar, and Whitfield added a run-scoring groundout to plate Valentin and make it 7-0.
