WELLESLEY, Mass. – The ninth-ranked Salisbury University baseball team got some early pop at the plate and a strong start from Tyler Villa en route to a 7-0 shutout win over the UMass Dartmouth Corsairs to open the Babson Park Regional of the NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament on Friday morning at Govoni Field.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Sea Gulls brought the big lumber early. Andrew Kell led off the first inning with a walk, then two batters later Danny Sheeler clubbed a two-run home run down the right field line to put SU in the driver's seat, 2-0.
• In the second, Adam Tommer and Zach Geesaman strung together back-to-back one-out singles to put men on the corners, then Max Ehrhardt laid down a squeeze bunt to plate Tommer. Geesaman in turn scored on a throwing error at short off the bat of Kell to make it 4-0.
• Tim Petrucelli singled to lead off the fifth and Sheeler doubled to put two men in scoring position. Two batters later Kyle Brex tagged a two-run single up the middle and took second on an error. Trent Waire in turn singled Brex home to boost the Sea Gull margin to 7-0.
• Tyler Villa was unflappable on the hill, shutting down the Corsairs for seven innings before handing the ball to Cole Williams for the final two to finish off the clean sheet.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Danny Sheeler finished 2-for-4 with a double, homer, two runs, and two RBIs. Sheeler's 21st career blast ties him with two others for sixth-most in Sea Gull history.
• Kyle Brex returned to the lineup for the first time in over a month and contributed in a big way, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs, one run, and one stolen base.
• Tim Petrucelli, Adam Tommer, and Zach Geesaman each singled and scored a run.
• Trent Waire went 1-for-3 with a rib-eye and a steal.
• Tyler Villa (2-1) dazzled in his first start since Mar. 24, scattering seven hits across seven scoreless innings with no walks and five strikeouts on 94 pitches.
• Cole Williams gave up just one hit over the final two innings to secure Salisbury's second shutout of the year.

UMASS DARTMOUTH GAME NOTES

• Brett Baker, Matthew Klett, and Matt Tempone each doubled to account for three of the Corsairs' four hits on the day.
• Adam Maher (6-3) took the loss after allowing seven runs (five earned) on eight hits in 4.1 innings, walking two and fanning one.

UP NEXT

• The Sea Gulls will continue the Babson Park Regional by facing the winner of Friday's Babson-Mitchell game on Saturday afternoon. First pitch from Govoni Field is set for 12 p.m.
• The winner of that game will advance to the regional championship round on Sunday at 11 a.m. The loser will play in an elimination game on Saturday at 3:30 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, 199 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.