Press Release Written by Nathan Foltz
HOCKESSIN, Del. - - The Wilmington University baseball team wrapped up its regular season with a loss at Goldey-Beacom on Tuesday, falling 8-7 to the Lightning in Hockessin in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference matchup.
Wilmington finishes the regular season 34-15 overall and 25-8 in CACC play, good enough for the top seed in the conference tournament. The Wildcats already secured their 12th 30-win season in the school's NCAA era, all under head coach Brian August, with their sights now set on a deep playoff run that could give them their third-ever 40-win campaign (43-14 in 2013 and 40-18 in 2019). That run will begin on Friday at home against eighth-seeded Bridgeport.
Brody Gebhard got the nod to begin the game for Wilmington, pitching well to conclude the regular season of his freshman year. He was able to shut the Lightning down to the tune of three hits and a walk through four innings, striking out one.
The Wilmington offense couldn't give him any run support, however, as they stranded runners on second and third in the top of the first, and then only Garrett Quinn reached base over the next three frames with a third-inning single.
The Wildcats finally opened the scoring in the top of the fifth, as Cam Trego led off the inning with a double and crossed the plate two batters later on a fielding error by the first baseman. The Lightning then responded in the bottom of the inning by jumping all over Dylan Potero in his first and only inning of work, starting with a single and an RBI double. Potero then tried to pick off the runner at second, but the throw went into center to allow an advance to third before a balk plated the run. The Wildcats weren't out of trouble despite the empty bases, though, as a single and a fielding error by Quinn quickly put traffic back on the bases. Both runners came home, the first on a sac fly and the second on a double, making it 4-1 Goldey.
Cam Trego hit a bases-loaded two-out RBI single in the top of the sixth to get one run back, but Brett Walmsley was gunned down at the plate on the play to kill the rally. The Lightning then scored another four in the bottom of the inning, this time against John Grybowski on four hits with an error mixed in, making it 8-2.
The Wilmington didn't back down, however, scoring three runs in the seventh on a groundout, a fielding error, and a sac fly, and then another two in the eighth thanks to a solo homer by MJ Phillips and an RBI single by Justin Hernandez.
Trailing by just one run at that point, Garrett Quinn was able to get a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth on the mound to keep the score at 8-7. Tyler Pirrung led off with a double in the gap, and then, after Chase Fleming flied out, Walmsley was intentionally walked to put two on with one out. But things ended quickly from there, as Stephen Katch grounded into a fielder's choice to short that cut down Pirrung at third, and then Trego ended the game with a fly out.
Potero took the loss, allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits in his inning of work. Grybowski also allowed four runs in an inning of work on four hits, issuing a walk. Fleming and Quinn each threw perfect innings to end the game, with Fleming picking up one strikeout and Quinn two.
Cam Trego had a good day at the plate, going 3-5 with a double and an RBI as the only Wildcat with multiple hits. Tyler Pirrung doubled and had an RBI, MJ Phillips hit a solo homer, and Justin Hernandez had two RBI.
The Wildcats now look ahead to Friday, when they'll welcome the eighth-seeded Purple Knights of Bridgeport to Wilson Field for the first round of the CACC Tournament. It'll be a best-of-three series, with two games on Friday and one on Saturday if necessary. The action begins at 12:00 p.m. in New Castle.