Press Release Written by Nathans Foltz
NEW CASTLE, Del. - - Some poorly timed errors cost the Wilmington University baseball team on Saturday, as the Wildcats fell to Jefferson, 14-8, in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference matchup at Wilson Field.
The Wildcats secured the regular season series win with a doubleheader sweep on Thursday in Philadelphia, but Saturday's game represented the opening round of the Bill Giles Invitational. The Rams' victory sends them to the championship game at Citizens Bank Park on April 21, where they'll play either Chestnut Hill or West Chester.
The Wildcats scored first, using a two-out rally and an RBI single by Brett Walmsley in the bottom of the first to stake an early 1-0 lead. Jefferson responded immediately, though, leading off the second inning with a home run off of Wilmington starter Brody Gebhard.
The Rams scored in each of the next three innings, using a combination of power and Wilmington miscues to pick up their runs. With runners on the corners in the third, Jefferson's Luis Beato Mora took off for second, but Walmsley's throw from behind the plate tipped off the glove of both middle infielders to empty the bases and make it 3-1. Gebhard then gave up his second homer of the game in the fourth, this time a three-run blast with two outs, and later on, in the fifth, John Grybowski gave up a leadoff homer of his own to give the visitors a 6-1 advantage.
After the Wildcats danced through some raindrops to strand two in the top of the sixth, Walmsley redeemed himself with a solo homer to start the bottom of the frame. The inning looked to have some promise after D'Angelo Ponce and Zach Frame followed the homer up with singles, but Justin Hernandez grounded into a run-scoring double play, and Garrett Quinn struck out to end the threat.
The Rams got one of those two runs back in the top of the seventh, using a two-out fielding error by Quinn to bring home their seventh run of the game. Wilmington again looked ready to mount a comeback in the bottom of the inning, with Cam Trego and Tyler Pirrung starting things off with back-to-back no-doubt homers. The Rams changed pitchers after that, though, and the Wildcats were quickly retired in order without any further damage.
Neither team could score in the eighth, and it was just a two-run game entering the ninth, 7-5. After Zach Czarnecki got the first Ram to strikeout, things started to come unbuttoned a bit, starting with a ball that went foul off the bat before spinning back fair and off the glove of Chase Fleming at first base for an error. From there, the Rams picked up a walk and an RBI single prior to making the second out, but the next four batters reached as five unearned runs crossed the plate. In total, the Wildcats committed four errors in the inning to yield six runs on two hits.
Ponce had a two-RBI double in the bottom of the ninth, and Frame recorded an RBI on a ground out, but the top of the ninth proved the difference in the ballgame.
Gebhard took the loss, allowing six runs (five earned) on five hits with a walk and five strikeouts in 3.2 innings of work. Grybowski followed him, allowing a run in 1.1 innings with four Ks, before eight Wildcats combined to cover the final four innings. Only six of the 14 runs allowed by Wilmington were earned.
In addition to the homers by Trego, Pirrung, and Walmsley, Fleming and Ponce hit for extra bases with a double apiece. Walmsley and Ponce each picked up two RBI.
The Wildcats have four days off before their next game, which will be on Wednesday at Wilson Field against Lincoln. First pitch of the double dip is slated for 12:00 p.m.