YORK, Pa.
– The No. 6 Salisbury University baseball
team held on to its
narrow lead for first place in the Capital Athletic Conference on
Saturday afternoon, splitting a doubleheader at York (Pa.) College.
The Spartans came from behind to take the first game 6-3, and
Salisbury rode a strong pitching performance and key hitting late
in the second to claim a 2-0 win.
The split, coupled with a
doubleheader split by the University of Mary Washington at home
against Stevenson University, puts the Sea Gulls in the
drivers' seat heading into Sunday's last day of Capital
Athletic Conference action. Salisbury, which currently leads York
by one game, will host Mary Washington in a doubledip beginning at
1 p.m., on Sunday. Salisbury needs just to split the doubleheader
to claim the top seed in next week's CAC tournament.
Saturday started well as the
Sea Gulls jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning of the first
game. Senior Mike Celenza
(Gaithersburg, Md.) and junior Brian Green
(Salisbury, Md.) each drove in runs in the frame. The
two-run lead was protected by starting pitcher Kyle Judson
(Gaithersburg, Md.) into the fourth inning.
The Spartans scored one run
in the fourth and added five more in the fifth to collect the win.
Junior Mark Peterson (Reisterstown, Md.) took
the loss in relief.
The second game went
scoreless into the sixth inning as Salisbury starting pitcher
Kyle Starr (Lusby, Md.) stymied the York
batters throughout the game. The senior allowed just six hits and
struck out five in six innings to collect his third win of the year
while senior Chad Wolfe (Thurmont, Md.) came on for
the final inning to collect his third save of the season.
Salisbury (20-6, 12-4 CAC)
got all the offense it needed in the top of the sixth when Celenza
came through with a mammoth blast for a solo home run. The shot was
his third of the season and 27th of his career.
The Sea Gulls added the
insurance run in the seventh as junior Andrew
Miller (Schwenksville, Pa.) drove home junior
Will Evans (Salisbury, Md.) with a single
through the left side.
One win during
Sunday's twinbill against Mary Washington will give Salisbury
the top seed in next week's double-elimination CAC
tournament, which would begin with home games on Tuesday and
Thursday, both beginning at 3:30 p.m.
