SALISBURY, Md. – The fourth-ranked Salisbury University baseball team rallied on multiple occasions but ultimately couldn't catch the Catholic Cardinals, falling 10-6 on Wednesday afternoon at Donnie Williams Sea Gull Baseball Stadium.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Cardinals landed the first jab in the second inning. Two batters were plunked and Derek Zelesnick stole third base, setting up Matt Perlin to lay down a squeeze bunt to bring him home and put CUA on top 1-0.
• Neither side could break through again until Catholic put up a five-spot in the top of the sixth. Jesse Lacefield capped a run of three straight singles with a run-scoring knock, then Perlin executed another squeeze bunt to make it 3-0. A single and two straight hit batsmen forced in another run, and Mitchel Johnson banged a double off the wall in left center to score two more and make it 6-0.
• The Sea Gulls got all five runs back on two big swings in the bottom of the sixth. Tim Petrucelli led off with a walk and Dylan Winebrenner lashed a line drive two-run home run to right center to get SU on the board. Danny Sheeler beat out a bunt single, then after an error and a fielder's choice Trent Waire tagged his own three-run homer to right, making it a one-run game again at 6-5.
• In the top of the seventh, Perlin bunted his way on for a single, took second on a wild pitch, and scored on a Steve Thomas base hit to nudge the CUA lead to 7-5.
• Salisbury answered with one in the home seventh. With the bases loaded after two singles and an HBP, Ben Anderson snuck a grounder through the left side for a single. Petrucelli scored to make it 7-6 but Winebrenner was thrown out at the plate by Johnson from left, and the Sea Gulls left three more runners on at the end of the frame.
• Catholic landed another haymaker in the top of the eighth. With two on and two out, Lacefield muscled a double to the right field wall to bring home both runners and rebuild the advantage to 9-6.
• The Cardinals tacked on one more insurance run in the ninth as Zach Burton powered an RBI double to right center to make it 10-6.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Dylan Winebrenner batted 3-for-4 with his fifth home run of the year and two RBIs.
• Trent Waire went yard for the first time in his collegiate career, finishing 2-for-4 with three rib-eyes.
• Tim Petrucelli finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored, while Danny Sheeler had two hits and scored once.
• Garrett Beaver (2-1) took the loss after allowing one run on a hit, two walks, and two hit batsmen over three innings.

CATHOLIC GAME NOTES

• Mitchel Johnson paced the Cardinals by going 3-for-6 with a double, run, and two RBIs, plus an outfield assist from left field.
• Jesse Lacefield finished 2-for-3 with a double, run, and three RBIs.
• Matt Perlin drove in a pair of runs on two squeeze bunts; he also went 1-for-2 and scored a run.
• Zach Burton notched a two-run double, while Derek Zelesnick scored three runs.
• Danny Fitzgerald (3-1) was awarded the win at the scorer's discretion. Fitzgerald entered with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh inning, retired the two batters he faced, and tossed a clean eighth for 1.2 scoreless innings.
• Danny Prior went four scoreless innings in a no-decision, scattering six hits with no walks and three strikeouts on 58 pitches.
• The win is Catholic's first against Salisbury since Mar. 14, 2007, and snaps an eight-game CUA losing streak in the series.

UP NEXT

• The Sea Gulls will host Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) action for the first time on Saturday against No. 15 Christopher Newport.
• First pitch from Williams Stadium is set for 2 p.m.

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Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 23 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 197 conference championships, and 45 Academic All-Americans.

To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.