DOVER, Del. – The No. 6 Salisbury University baseball team scored seven times with two out in the top of the seventh to defeat Wesley College, 9-3, and salvage a split in a doubleheader to open CAC play at Bob Reed Field on Sunday.
Trailing, 3-2, sophomore Bill Root got the rally going for Salisbury (7-2, 1-1 CAC) with a one-out single to right field before a groundout by Joey Jones moved Root to third. Senior Tyler Bennett followed with a clutch base hit to left to plate Root and tie the game, 3-3.
Junior Chris Conner then came up with an RBI double to down the right-field line, scoring Bennett from second for the lead. The Sea Gulls were not done, though. Pinch runner Kyle Hayman scored on consecutive wild pitches by reliever Mark Mattern. The right-hander then walked the bases loaded, issuing free passes to Eric Weiser, Johnny Schiotis and Quinn Griffith. Andrew Cooper came on for Mattern and surrendered a bases-clearing double down the right-field line.
After Ken O'Neill was hit by a pitch, Root singled through the right side of the infield to score Adams with the final run of the day.
Junior Danny Druzgala (1-0) pitched a perfect sixth with a strikeout to pick up his first collegiate win. Wesley starter Jordan Lozzi (2-1) took the loss in 6 2/3 innings. He allowed five earned runs on eight hits and two walks with five strikeouts.
Root, Jones and Connor each tallied two hits. Adams and Schiotis drove in three and two runs, respectively.
SU got on the scoreboard first, taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning of game two on Schiotis' two-out, two-run single to left.
Wesley (6-2, 1-1) got a run back in the bottom of the inning when Sam Farnell hit a sacrifice fly to left. Farnell added another RBI on a single to left with two outs in the third to score Rob Benedict to knot the game at 2-2.
Morgan Rupp then singled home Geoff Kimmel to give Wesley the edge.
Down, 4-0, heading to the seventh in game one, Salisbury started mounted its first comeback of the day. Chris Gaines reached on a throwing error by Wesley shortstop Benedict and was pinch run for by Hayman. Then, with one out, Root legged out an infield hit to third base, to put runner on first and second for pinch hitter Rutger Floyd. Floyd struck out, but Bennett kept the game going as Rupp misplayed a fly ball in left field, allowing Root and Hayman to score.
Connor followed with a walk and was lifted for Alex Anwar to pinch run Jones then came through with a single to center to pull the Sea Gulls to within one at 4-3. Jones stole second before D.J. Keckler (3-0) got Adams swinging to end the game.
Conner, Jones and Adams collected to hits apiece for Salisbury.
With one out in the bottom of the second inning and runner of first and second, Bryan Reshetar doubled down the right-field line, scoring Sam Farnell for a 1-0 lead. Corey Jefferson followed with a bounced to first base that plated Rupp to extend the advantage.
In the top of the fourth, SU loaded the bases with consecutive singles from Conner, Jones and Adams, but Keckler worked his way out of trouble, striking out Johnny Schiotis to end the inning.
The Wolverines added to the lead in the sixth. Farnell doubled off right-hander Devin Gardner (0-1) to left field, scoring Geoff Kimmel and Rupp singled to singled to right to score Farnell.
Keckler earned the complete-game win, allowing three unearned runs on eight hits and two walks. He struck out eight. Gardner lasted 5 1/3 innings, gave four earned runs and two walks while fanning one.
Farnell finished the doubleheader 3-for-4 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored for Wesley.
The teams will close the series on Monday at 1 p.m.