SALISBURY, Md. - The Salisbury University
baseball team, the two-time defending Capital Athletic Conference
champions, return to the title game for a ninth consecutive season
but it wasn't easy for the maroon and gold. The Sea Gulls, ranked
No. 3 in the latest D3baseball.com poll and No. 5 in the coaches'
poll, rallied to defeat University of Mary Washington 8-6 on
Saturday morning in the CAC tournament.
Salisbury (35-1) led 4-0 early but Mary Washington (22-11)
chased Sea Gull starter Dustin Herbert with
back-to-back three-run innings in the fifth and sixth innings. The
freshman experienced his worst outing as a Gull in his young
collegiate career. He allowed six runs on 12 hits as the team's
strikeout leader didn't record one in over six innings of work.
The second-seed Eagles led for the first time in the game as
Eric Rehbein (2-for-5, four RBI) hit a two-run single up the middle
to score Jackson Clement (1-for-3, two runs, RBI) and Jeff Johnson
(2-for-4, two runs, RBI) in the top of the sixth inning off SU
reliever J.D. Polcari. SU freshman Kyle
Judson came in to relieve Polcari and walked his first
batter to place runners at first and second base. Judson got out of
the jam as UMW third baseman Will Wright ground out to the
shortstop to end the big inning for the Eagles, now up 6-5.
Mary Washington threatened again in the top of the seventh but
the Salisbury defense delivered with some clutch plays. Sea Gull
catcher Tyler Riley gunned down Eagle right
fielder Jon Sims (3-for-4), who was trying to swipe second base,
for the second out of the inning. Judson issued another walk but
got out of the inning when left fielder Mark
Bostwick made a magnificent sliding catch in left-center
field to rob Johnson of an extra-base hit.
The play by Bostwick brought the Sea Gull bench and fans to
their feet and gave top-seed Salisbury the spark it needed to
make a late-inning comeback.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, second baseman
Randy Boyle (3-for-4, three runs, RBI) doubled
with one out. First baseman Mike Celenza (1-for-3,
one run) stepped to the plate and on a heads up play Boyle stole
third base, his 11 steal of the season. The Sea Gulls now had the
game tying run 90 feet away. UMW starting pitcher Seth Kaas (4-1)
plunked Celenza for the second time in the game to place runners at
the corners. Senior third baseman Justin Armiger
(3-for-5, five RBI) delivered the knock out punch with a two-run
double down the left field line. Boyle scored with ease as Celenza
lumbered around the base paths and scored from first to give SU the
8-6 lead.
Armiger's double chased Kaas from the game as UMW coach Tom
Sheridan turned to shortstop Rehbein to take the mound as Billy
Beovich came in to play short. Kaas finished the day with six and
one-third innings pitched. He allowed eight runs (six earned) on 12
hits, walked four and struck out seven.
Salisbury coach Doug Fleetwood called on junior
pitcher Eric Willey to come in and close out the
game. Willey pitched a nine-inning complete game on Tuesday in a
13-1 win over York (Pa.) College and earned his second save of the
season two days later in a 4-3 second round win over St. Mary's
(Md.) College. The right-hander took the hill for the third time in
five days and mowed down the Eagles in the eighth inning as he
struck out the side. The Sea Gulls went quietly in the bottom half
as the teams went into the final inning of play.
In the ninth, Willey struck out the final two batters in a 1-2-3
inning to earn his third save of the season to preserve the 35th
consecutive victory for the Sea Gulls this season, the longest
consecutive winning streak in the country. SU is 23-0 at home this
season.
Salisbury scored two runs in the first inning and one run in the
following two innings to stake themselves to a 4-0 lead through
four innings. UMW scored three in the top of the fifth inning
before Salisbury answered with a run in the bottom half.
The top half of Salisbury's batting order (one through five
hitters) combined to bat 12-for-22 (.545), score six runs and drove
in all eight runs. Boyle extended his consecutive game streak of
reaching base to 36 games as the junior has a hit in 35 of the 36
games played this season. Center fielder Jordan
Crystal went 3-for-6, one run and RBI in the leadoff spot.
The Sea Gulls advance to Sunday's Capital Athletic Conference
championship game which will begin at Noon at Sea Gull Field.
Salisbury will face either Mary Washington or
fifth-seed Villa Julie College, who defeated third-seed Wesley
College 28-8 in an elimination game on Saturday afternoon.
Follow the 2008 CAC Spring Championships
here:
http://www.suseagulls.com/news/2007-08/cactournamentspring08
