FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The fourth-ranked Salisbury University baseball team scored seven unanswered runs from the fifth inning on, rallying past the Mary Washington Eagles 7-2 in Friday night's Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) matchup at Earl Dickinson Stadium.

BOX SCORE

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Eagles took advantage of a key Salisbury error in the second. David Lamberston and Nick Ciuffreda hit back-to-back one-out singles, then Sam Freeborne hit a grounder to second that resulted in an error, allowing Lambertson to score. Ciuffreda then came in on a wild pitch, putting UMW up 2-0.
• The Sea Gulls got back into it in the fifth. Scott Cameron led off by getting hit by a pitch and eventually stole his way to second and then to third. With two outs, Justin Meekins pegged a single into left, scoring Cameron to cut the SU hole to 2-1.
• Cameron Hyder led off the sixth with a base hit, and Stephen Rice followed with a walk to put two on. After a sac bunt moved up the runners, Matt Padeway notched a base hit into left to score both men, giving Salisbury its first lead at 3-2.
• Jacob Ference smashed a solo home run to lead off the seventh, making it 4-2 Sea Gulls.
• SU added three more runs in the eighth. Sky Rahill led off with a base knock and took second on a sac bunt. Cameron doubled Rahill home and eventually scored on a double by Ference. Two batters later, Meekins managed his second RBI single of the night, giving Salisbury a 7-2 lead that it would finish holding.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Jacob Ference had his biggest hitting game since the early season for the Sea Gulls, going 2-for-4 with a double, homer, two RBIs and two runs scored.
• Scott Cameron continued to step it up at the plate, finishing 2-for-3 with a double, RBI, two runs scored and two stolen bases. In four straight starts in left field since April 23, Cameron has hit 7-for-14 with four extra-base hits, three RBIs and three runs scored.
• Justin Meekins went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two stolen bases, while Cameron Hyder and Sky Rahill each had two hits and a run scored.
• Jackson Balzan (4-1) bounced back after a pair of rough starts to pick up his fourth win of the year. Balzan allowed just two unearned runs on three hits over 5.2 innings, walking one and punching out three.
• Corey Burton and Brandon Epstein combined for 3.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen to finish off the Eagles.
• The Sea Gulls have now won four in a row and at 11-1 in C2C play hold a three-game lead over second-place Christopher Newport with four games to play in the regular season. SU holds the tiebreaker over CNU by winning the season series 3-1.

MARY WASHINGTON GAME NOTES

• Garrett Lyons finished 2-for-4 with a double, one of UMW's two extra-base hits on the day.
• David Lambertson and Nick Ciuffreda each had a hit and a run.
• Daniel Osafo (0-4) coughed up the lead in the sixth and took the loss for the Eagles, allowing a pair of runs on three hits in just two-thirds of an inning.
• Ty Lowe endured a no-decision despite a solid five innings, giving up one run on two hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

UP NEXT

• The Sea Gulls play their series finale at Mary Washington on Saturday afternoon.  
• Salisbury can clinch homefield advantage in the C2C Tournament with a win.
• First pitch from Earl Dickinson Stadium is set for 12 p.m.