Virginia Wesleyan sweeps Bridgewater
Virginia Wesleyan’s baseball team swept Bridgewater 7-6, 17-3 Sunday in an Old Dominion Athletic Conference doubleheader in the Shenandoah Valley, and the ninth inning of the opener was the key.
Bridgewater (14-9, 3-4 ODAC) led 6-4 entering the ninth, but VWU (15-8, 5-2) plated three runs in that inning to win.
After Thomas Crandall scored on a wild pitch, Micah Fox hit a two-run double to right-center for the eventual winning runs. Ryan Cowell retired the Eagles 1-2-3 for a save.
In Game 2, Bridgewater committed seven errors. Crandall, Fox and John Bastiaans each had three hits and three RBIs. Bastians and Nathan Bryant scored three runs each.
Christopher Newport 3, Piedmont 2: The Captains (13-6), ranked 22nd in Division III, won the series 2-1 as Aaron Maxie scored the winning run on a wild pitch by the Lions (12-8) with two outs in the ninth.
CNU starter Dylan Weber struck out 10 and gave up five hits in seven innings. Josh Reinhold was 3 for 4 for CNU and was at bat when the game-ending wild pitch.
No. 14 Virginia 8, Pittsburgh 2: The Cavaliers (20-4, 6-3 ACC) accomplished a three-game road sweep, making Brian O’Connor the eighth baseball coach ever with 350 Atlantic Coast Conference victories.
Kevin Jaxel (4-0) pitched five innings in his first college start for the victory. All nine Cavaliers in the starting lineup collected a hit, highlighted by Western Branch High graduate Harrison Didawick’s 11th home run of the year, a two-run shot in the seventh inning to give UVA a two-run cushion.
No. 19 Virginia Tech 12, Boston College 6: A seven-run seventh inning boosted the Hokies (18-4, 8-1 ACC) to a three-game sweep of the host Eagles.
Junior Carson DeMartini of Virginia Beach was 2 for 4 with a home run, a walk and two RBIs. Senior Chris Cannizzaro had a homer and three RBIs.
Louisiana 2, Old Dominion 0: The Ragin’ Cajuns (16-8, 5-1 Sun Belt) finished a three-game sweep in Lafayette in which they shut down the offense of the Monarchs (13-11, 2-4). ODU had five hits Sunday.
Kyle DeBarge’s sacrifice fly in the sixth inning and John Taylor’s RBI triple in the eighth, one of just four hits for the Ragin’ Cajuns, were enough for Louisiana. Reliever Bailey Matela (1-1) took the loss.
Stony Brook 12, William & Mary 3: The Seawolves (10-12, 1-2) averted a three-game Coastal Athletic Association sweep by beating the Tribe (17-7, 2-1) at Plumeri Park.
Matt Miceli was 4 for 5 with four RBIs and a run for Stony Brook, which scored in seven of the game’s nine innings. Luca Trigiani and Joe Delossantos each had two of W&M’s seven hits. Starter Alex Markus (0-2) gave up four hits, four walks and four earned runs in 1 ⅔ innings.
Long Island 6, Norfolk State 3: The Sharks completed a threegame sweep in Brookville, New York, as starter Jared Hughes (1-4) held NSU to two hits in six innings while striking out nine. LIU capitalized on eight walks.
Joe Lafave (1-4) took the loss, giving up six hits and four runs in five innings.
Justin Journette was 3 for 4 with a run and all three NSU RBIs. He was a triple short of the cycle.