The Virginia Wesleyan University baseball team (13-12, 4-6 ODAC) defeated conference opponent Averett, winning 8-4 on the road.
On the mound,
Brandon Drewry earned the win with a solid outing, going 6.2 innings while allowing just two earned runs. He worked through traffic at times but limited the damage and kept the Marlins in front.
Will Payne closed the door over the final 2.1 innings, allowing just one hit to secure the victory.
Tassone led the offensive effort with a standout performance, going 3-for-4 with five RBI and a double. Walston added two RBI, while Valentin contributed a run-scoring double and a sacrifice fly. The Marlins also showed patience at the plate, drawing eight walks to help fuel the offense.
The Marlins fell behind early, as Averett scratched across a run in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 lead.
Virginia Wesleyan answered immediately in the second inning with a well-executed rally.
Nick Valentin led things off by ripping a double through the left side, and
Marcell Whitfield followed by working a walk. After a lineout,
James Tassone delivered the equalizer with an RBI single to right, bringing Valentin home to tie the game at 1-1. Tassone then swiped second base, putting himself in scoring position, and
Darius Walston came through with a clutch two-run single to center field, scoring both Tassone and Whitfield to give the Marlins a 3-1 lead.
The Marlins added another run in the third thanks to aggressive baserunning.
Joshua Jones singled to right, stole second, and moved to third on a wild pitch. With one out, Valentin lifted a sacrifice fly to right-center, allowing Jones to tag and score, extending the lead to 4-1.
Averett picked up a run in the bottom half of the inning, but Virginia Wesleyan delivered the decisive blow in the fifth. Jones recorded the first out before
Gino Meienschein drew a walk. Valentin followed with a flyout, but Whitfield and
Nathan Bryant each worked walks to load the bases. With two outs, Tassone stepped up again and came through in a huge way, drilling a double to center field that cleared the bases. Bryant, Whitfield, and Meienschein all scored on the play, stretching the Marlins' advantage to 7-2.
Averett stayed within striking distance, taking advantage of a pair of Marlins errors in the seventh inning to plate two unearned runs and cut the lead to 7-4.
Virginia Wesleyan answered with an insurance run in the ninth. Meienschein was hit by a pitch to start the inning, and Valentin followed with a walk. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. After two outs, Tassone capped his big day with an RBI single to shortstop, bringing Meienschein home to make it 8-4. Tassone later stole second, finishing off another productive trip to the plate.
