NEW CASTLE, Del. - - A pair of losses on Friday in the NCAA Division II East Region 2 Tournament has the Wilmington University baseball team's season come to end, falling to Felician, 10-6, in the winner's bracket game and then to Molloy, 12-5, in an elimination game at Wilson Field.
The two losses see the Wildcats bow out of the Regional Tournament and end their season, sporting a 37-22 overall after winning their 10th CACC Tournament Championship and hosting their second NCAA Regional bracket.
GAME 1 vs. FELICIAN:
The Wildcats struck first with a run in the bottom of the first, but Felician countered with a four-run third, scoring eight runs over three innings to take control of the ballgame.
Felician collected 16 hits in the game, scoring multiple runs in four innings.
Brandon Grygo started the bottom of the first with a single. A first and third play allowed Brandon Grygo to score the game's first run before Felician responded in the third. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with one out. A sacrifice fly tied the game and then Felician had a two-run single to take the lead. They scored four runs on four hits in the inning.
The Wildcats scored a two out run in the third to make it a 4-2 game, but the Golden Falcons answered right back in the top of the fourth with two runs. Zach Frame hit a RBI single and Cam Trego followed it with another hit, bringing in a run to make it a 6-4 game.
The Wildcats couldn't keep the Golden Falcons down though, as they answered with two more runs in the top of the fifth, never allowing the Wildcats to get any closer. Chase Fleming had an RBI single in the fifth and Josearmando Diaz hit a solo homer in the seventh, but the Golden Falcons held onto a 10-6 lead.
With one final chance, the Wildcats put two on in the ninth, putting the tying run on deck. But Felician was able to induce a ground ball to end the game and advance to the East Region 2 Bracket Final.
Josearmando Diaz went 3-for-4 with two RBI while Brandon Grygo, Chase Fleming, and Zach Frame all had two hits.
GAME 2 vs. MOLLOY:
Now playing for their season, the Wildcats jumped out to a 3-0 lead but the Lions scored 10 runs over three innings to take control of the contest.
Josearmando Diaz hit his ninth homer of the season in the top of the first inning, giving the Wildcats an early 1-0 lead. Chase Fleming induced a double play in the bottom of the first and then had a 1-23 inning in the bottom of the second.
Garrett Quinn walked in the third and he was immediately brought home as Brandon Grygo hit the first pitch he saw over the fence in right, giving the Wildcats a 3-0 lead.
After three quiet innings the Lions woke up in the fourth inning. A single, double, and a walk loaded the bases with no outs. A double brought in the first two runs for the Lions before a one-out sacrifice fly tied the game, 3-3.
The Wildcats retook the lead with a two-out RBI double in the top of the fifth by Tyler Pirrung but the Lions answered right back in the home half, taking the lead. Two errors in the inning led to two unearned runs for the Lions, taking a 5-4 lead.
The Wildcats put their first two runners on in the top of the sixth, but those runners wouldn't move as the Lions escaped the jam. The Lions then extended their lead in the bottom of the sixth.
The Wildcats had two chances to turn double plays to get out of the inning, but Molloy beat out the throws to keep the inning going. They would go on to score five runs all with two outs, taking a 10-4 lead.
Three singles loaded the bases in the top of the seventh, but the Wildcats could only get one run out of it with a Zach Rosenzweig sacrifice fly. The Lions would go on to add single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to close out the scoring, 12-5.
Josearmando Diaz and Garrett Quinn had two hits each while Brandon Grygo led with two RBI. Quinn scored three runs in the game.
