DANVILLE, Va. - The No. 4 Salisbury University
baseball team is one win away from returning to the College World
Series. The Sea Gulls won two games on Friday in Danville, Va.,
behind strong pitching efforts by Ryan Bennick and
Jeff Feigl in the 2008 NCAA Division III South
Regional. The two Sea Gull hurlers pitched complete games as
Salisbury defeated Christopher Newport University, 5-1, and No. 20
Lynchburg College, 5-3, in the night game.
Salisbury (41-3) is now in Saturday's regional final game and
will face the winner between No. 10 Johns Hopkins University and
Lynchburg College in the early game on Saturday. The top-seed Sea
Gulls are slated to play the final at 4 p.m. in Dan Daniel Memorial
Park.
The Sea Gulls started the day with a 1-1 regional record and
faced a "must win" game against fifth-seed CNU. SU coach
Doug Fleetwood turned to Bennick, the senior ace,
to lead the way for the maroon and gold. He did not disappoint as
he tossed nine innings and allowed one run (in the sixth) on six
hits and walked three and struck out seven. He improved his record
to 10-0 this season.
"I felt good today," said Bennick after the win. "I knew being a
senior it was my last game if we lost, so I went out there and did
everything I could do to shut them down, win this game and move
on."
SU struck first against the Captains (29-14) in the top of the
fifth inning when left fielder Mark Bostwick led
off with a double to right center field. He later scored on a
ground out by Matt O'Keefe (1-for-3, run, RBI) to
second base.
The Captains tied it up in the bottom of the sixth but the tie
only last a few minutes as the Gulls responded with three runs in
the seventh. Two CNU errors kept the inning alive as Jordan
Crystal, O'Keefe and Will Evans scored Salisbury's run.
Crystal scored his second run of the game in the top of the
ninth to give Bennick and the Sea Gulls an added insurance run.
"After a loss yesterday, we needed to come out today and get a
great pitching job," said Fleetwood. "Bennick just did an
unbelievable job. That was big."
In the nightcap, the Sea Gulls had the tough task of facing the
fourth-seed Hornets from Lynchburg, who had won its first two
regional games. The Hornets (32-12) got off to a good start as they
scored two runs in the top of the first inning off Feigl.
The junior right-hander took over from there and pitched his
best game of the season. He went the distance and allowed three
runs on five hits, walked two and struck out a season-high eight
batters. He improves to a perfect 5-0 this season.
Lynchburg took its 2-0 lead into the eighth inning just needing
six outs to advance to the regional final. Salisbury's bats came
alive as the Sea Gulls scored five runs on five hits. Sophomore
first baseman Mike Celenza delivered the big blow
with a bases clearing double that scored three runs. Bostwick
followed with a RBI double that scored Celenza. A few batters later
Evans singled to right center field to plate Bostwick.
The Hornets added a run in the ninth as they led off with a
triple but Feigl got out of the jam as Lynchburg had the tying run
at the plate with two outs but grounded out to end the game.
The top five batters for Salisbury combined to bat 9-for-20,
scored four runs and collected four RBI.
"We pitched well and played great defense [today]. We have said
it a million times, if you do those two things you are in a
position to win and that is where we are," said Fleetwood.
Salisbury last advanced to the College World Series in 2004. The
Sea Gulls have won two NCAA regionals in program history (2001,
2004).
