NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The seventh-ranked Salisbury University baseball team opened Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) play by outmuscling the Christopher Newport Captains 14-11 on Saturday afternoon at Captains Park.
The Sea Gulls jumped in front 3-0 in the first two innings of action. The first saw two runs come across on a bases-loaded walk to
Andrew Kell and a run-scoring error at short. In the second, SU manufactured another on a walk, sac bunt, and
Dylan Winebrenner RBI single. Undaunted, the Captains drew even with two in the third and one in the fourth, tying the game at 3-3 on a solo homer by Justin Liakos.
Jackson Inman led off the top of the fifth with a double, and two more reached on a walk and a hit batsman to load the bases. With two out,
TJ Morris cracked a grand slam to left, vaulting Salisbury into a 7-3 lead. CNU got all four back in the bottom of the fifth, though, loading the bases and plating a run each on four straight plate appearances with a walk, single, sac fly, and steal-plus-error, drawing even at 7-7.
The bullpens settled in from there, putting up dueling zeroes for the next two frames. Then in the eighth, SU broke through again as
Danny Sheeler singled with one out and Winebrenner doubled to send him to third. On a foul popup to second, Sheeler broke for the plate and scored as the catcher muffed the throw, giving the Sea Gulls their third lead of the game. Inman followed with an RBI double to make it 9-7.
Salisbury put it away for good in the ninth as Winebrenner blasted the team's second grand slam of the game and
Ben Anderson added another tally with a pinch-hit RBI single, upping the margin to 14-7. Despite a three-run homer from Aaron Maxie and a two-out RBI double to get CNU within 14-11,
Bryce Sterling slammed the door by striking out Jacob Koenig for the final out.
GAME NOTES
- Dylan Winebrenner turned in a monster five-hit game, finishing 5-for-6 with a grand slam, two doubles, two runs, and five RBIs.
- TJ Morris belted the Sea Gulls' first grand slam of the day and went 1-for-5 with two runs scored.
- Jackson Inman doubled twice, going 2-for-6 with a run and an RBI.
- Danny Sheeler and Trent Waire scored three runs apiece.
- Cole Williams (3-1) grabbed the win in relief with two shutdown innings in the sixth and seventh, walking one and striking out one.
- Bryce Sterling secured his fifth save of the year, tossing a scoreless eighth and shepherding SU across the finish line in the ninth. Sterling's five saves tie him with Dave Parker (1997) and Matt Brohawn (1999) for fourth-most in single-season program history.
- Aidan Brinsfield made it three innings in his start, giving up two runs on three hits with three walks and one punchout.
The Sea Gulls will stay in the Commonwealth for a Monday afternoon bout at Shenandoah. First pitch from Winchester, Va., is slated for 4 p.m.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming) and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's 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 won a combined 23 team national championships, 24 individual national championships, and 202 conference championships, and have produced 50 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.
