WATERBURY, Conn. - - The top-seeded Wilmington University baseball team prevailed in comeback fashion on Friday in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament Semifinal, defeating second-seeded Delaware rival Goldey-Beacom 10-8 at Municipal Stadium in Waterbury, Connecticut.
Trailing or tied for most of the game, the Wildcats finally took their first lead with a three-run bottom of the eighth that sent the Lightning to an elimination game against Felician later in the day. Goldey-Beacom stayed alive with a 20-13 win over Felician, setting up a rematch in the Championship game on Saturday. Due to the weather, Saturday's game has been moved up to a 9:00 a.m. start at Municipal Stadium.
As has been the case in most of the Wilmington-Goldey games of the last few years, the scoring came early and often, with Goldey staking a 3-0 lead in the top of the second to get on the board first. Wilmington had their response in the bottom of the third, using a pair of two-out knocks to score two. After Brian Klumpp reached on an error with nobody on and two down, Chase Fleming roped a triple to left center to score him, and then Brett Walmsley doubled off the top of the center field fence to bring home Fleming and make it 3-2.
The Lightning were able to push the lead back to two in the fifth with an RBI groundout, but the Wildcats were able to tie things up with only one ball hit to the outfield in the bottom of the frame. After Klumpp laid down a sac bunt to put runners on second and third with one out, Fleming took a ball to right for an RBI single. He then stole second, and with two outs, Goldey tried to pick him off, but the ball went off the shortstop and into center, allowing Tyler Pirrung to come home from third and tie the game 4-4.
More offensive chaos came in the sixth with both starting pitchers tiring. Goldey-Beacom used an RBI sac bunt, a two-run single, and a one-run single to plate four and make it 8-4. But Wilmington used their half of the inning to bring things back to within one, first taking advantage of a fielding error by the Lightning left fielder that allowed Zach Frame to score all the way from first. D'Angelo Ponce then doubled down the left field line to score Stephen Katch before a wild pitch put Ponce on third and set the table for a run-scoring groundout by Pirrung.
Ryan Kiendle went six up six down in the seventh and eighth on the mound for Wilmington, keeping the game within reach for his offense down 8-7. The Wildcats' opportunity came in the bottom of the eighth, where, with two in scoring position and two outs, Chase Fleming hit a hot shot to short that took a bad hop off the fielder and into right, scoring both Ponce and Klumpp. Then, with Walmsley up, Fleming took off on a hit and run, and it worked out perfectly, as he scored from first on a bloop single into left that got away from the Lightning's left fielder.
The insurance run was music to the ears of Garrett Quinn, who came on for the save in the ninth and allowed only one baserunner on a hit by pitch to secure the 10-8 victory.
Ryan Kiendle (3-0) got the win, while Quinn picked up his sixth save of the year, tied with Scott Borgmann for the team lead. Xavier Cortez started and went 5.2, giving up eight runs (six earned) on eight hits and three walks. Cortez punched out six, Kiendle two in 2.1 innings of one-hit ball, and Quinn one.
The top of the Wildcat lineup was extremely productive, with Ponce, Pirrung, Fleming, and Walmsley all tallying multiple hits on the day. Fleming was the most productive of the bunch, going 4-5 with a triple and four RBI, including driving in the game-winning runs in the eighth. Ponce, Pirrung, and Walmsley all had an RBI apiece, and Ponce and Walmsley each picked up a double.
The Wildcats now look ahead to Saturday, where they aim for back-to-back championships for the third time in program history. Goldey-Beacom has advanced to its first-ever CACC Tournament Championship on Saturday and needs to defeat the Wildcats twice in order to win its first Championship. First pitch is set for 9:00 a.m.