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NEW CASTLE, Del. - - It's not how you start but how you finish as the Wilmington University baseball team needed to dig out of early holes in each game on Friday, winning the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament First Round Series against Bridgeport, 17-8 and 9-5, at Wilson Field.
The top seeded Wildcats win the best-of-three series, 2-0, against the 8th seeded Purple Knights and move on to the double-elimination portion of the CACC Tournament next week. The Wildcats are the defending CACC Tournament Champions.
GAME 1:
Trailing 8-0 going into the bottom of the fourth inning, the Wildcats rallied for 17 unanswered runs, scoring six in the fourth, two in the fifth, two in the sixth, three in the seventh, and four more in the eighth to win the opener.
The mayhem started with two outs and the bases empty in the top of the first. A walk started a rally for the Purple Knights as they soon loaded the bases. A wild pitch scored the first run and then a three-run homer put the upstart visitors ahead, 4-0.
They loaded the bases again in the third, scoring on a walk and an RBI groundout, taking a 6-0 lead. Bridgeport scored two more in the top of the fourth, but it could have been worse were it not for an interference call on the batter on a stolen base attempt.
The Wildcats struck for six in the bottom of the fourth, getting a two-run triple from Brett Walmsley. Cam Trego added a sacrifice fly, and then Zach Frame restarted the inning with a single into right. With the bases loaded and two outs, Tyler Pirrung ripped one inside the third base bag and into the corner, chasing all three home to bring it to an 8-6 deficit.
Cam Trego added an RBI single in the fifth and then scored from second base on a ground out to first base. Trego was running on the pitch and never stopped, sliding home to tie the game, 8-8.
Tyler Pirrung added another RBI double in the sixth, giving the Wildcats the lead. Brian Klumpp made it 10-8 with an RBI single and the Wildcats never looked back.
Cam Trego hit a solo homer in the seventh and Garrett Quinn and Brian Klumpp added RBI singles to make it 13-8.
Cam Trego then added his second homer of the game in the eighth, hitting the scoreboard in right for a two-run shot. Ben Cordrey then launched another two-run shot to left with two outs, capping the scoring at 17-8.
Scott Borgmann came on in relief in the top of the fourth, gave up the two runs in the fourth, and then blanked the Purple Knights the rest of the way. He finished with eight strikeouts in six innings, allowing two runs on six hits.
Trego finished 3-for-4 with five RBI while Tyler Pirrung went 2-for-5 with four RBI.
GAME 2:
Game two was a back-and-forth affair, as the Wildcats finally broke away with a four-run seventh inning, securing the sweep.
Bridgeport again took an early lead, hitting a two-run homer in the top of the second. The Wildcats answered with a Justin Hernandez RBI single in the home half, and then took their first lead in the third. With two-outs and runners on second third, Brett Walmsley singled through the left side, plating both for the 3-2 lead.
Bridgeport scored single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to regain the lead, but then Brian Klumpp homered over the scoreboard in right to tie the game, 4-4, in the fifth.
The game wasn't tied for long though, as Bridgeport answered with a sacrifice fly in the sixth.
The lead help until the bottom of the seventh when the Wildcats scored four. Brett Walmsley tied the game with a sacrifice fly and then Cam Trego went the opposite way for an RBI single and the 6-5 lead. Justin Hernandez then came through with a two-out, two-run single, giving the Wildcats an 8-5 lead.
Chase Fleming added a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the ninth, capping the scoring, 9-5.
Dylan Potero went the first four innings, allowing three runs with three punchouts. John Grybowski went 1.2 innings before Ryan Kiendle pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, earning the win while allowing two hits. Garrett Quinn closed things out with two scoreless innings for the save.
Brett Walmsley and Justin Hernandez led with three RBI each while D'Angelo Ponce, Klumpp, Fleming, and Hernandez all finished with two hits each.
UP NEXT:
The Wildcats advance to the double-elimination portion of the CACC Tournament, playing again on Thursday at Post University. They will play the winner of the No. 4 Felician and No. 5 Post series in the first game at 11:00 a.m.
