DANVILLE, Va. - The No. 4
Salisbury University baseball team held onto win its first game of
the 2008 NCAA Division III South Regional on Wednesday afternoon as
the Sea Gulls defeated Randolph-Macon College 7-4 at Dan Daniel
Park in Danville, Va.
Salisbury (39-2) will face No. 14 Piedmont College on Thursday
afternoon at 3 p.m. The third-seed Lions lost Wednesday night to
fourth-seed Lynchburg College, 9-1. The other South region upset
saw fifth-seed Christopher Newport University topple second-seed
Johns Hopkins University, 8-5 in 10 innings.
Top-seed Salisbury was led offensively by catcher Andrew
Miller (3-for-5, run, RBI) and a trio of players that
recorded two hits apiece including Randy Boyle
(2-for-4, run), Mark Bostwick (2-for-4) and
Will Evans (2-for-3, run). The Sea Gulls received
a huge clutch hit from freshman Brad Baylis
(1-for-2, run, two RBI) in the four-run sixth inning as he tripled
home two runs.
Salisbury led early as the maroon and gold scored a run in the
second and two in the third to help out Sea Gull starter
Eric Willey (11-0) in the dual between two
undefeated pitchers. Willey went seven and two-thirds innings,
allowed four runs on 11 hits, walked five and struck out five.
Senior Ryan Bennick earned his second save of the
season as he closed out the ninth inning.
Randolph-Macon (25-16) outhit Salisbury, 15-13, and left 17
runners on base. The Yellow Jackets had the game tying run at the
plate, with no outs and two runners on base, in the ninth inning
but the Salisbury defense saved the day.
R-MC third baseman Adam Carpenter (3-for-6) doubled to center
field but catcher Jay Lichter was thrown out at the plate and then
the Yellow Jackets got doubled up at third base when Kevin Davis
was tagged out. An R-MC single later by Bruno Gora placed runners
at the corners but second baseman Greg Meleski grounded out to SU
first baseman Mike Celenza (1-for-5, RBI double,
run) to end the game.
R-MC starting pitcher Byron Mendenhall (7-1) suffered his first
loss of the season as he pitched five and a third innings where he
allowed six runs on nine hits, walked two and struck out three Sea
Gull batters.
The Yellow Jackets will face fifth-ranked Johns Hopkins in an
elimination game on Thursday morning at 11 a.m.
