HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. – Wesley College's baseball team rallied from a three-run deficit to defeat Keystone, 9-8, on Saturday afternoon at Ty Cobb Ballpark as part of the Floyd Wilcox Memorial Tournament. The Wolverines even their record at 1-1 while the Giants fall to 0-2.
Trailing, 8-5 after six-and-a-half innings, Wesley tied the score in its half of the seventh with three runs on five hits. Cory Smith started the rally with a single and Trevor Mears and Conner Gobright then were credited with back-to-back fielder's choices. With a runner on the corners with one out, Matt Domian drove in Smith with a single to cut the lead to two. Adam Darling then delivered with another single to drive in Gobright and Speidel doubled in Domian to tie the score.
Andrew Cooper, who relieved Eric Willey after six innings, threw a perfect eighth inning for the Wolverines and picked up the win after Wesley recorded the game-winning run in the eighth. With one out, Mears singled and stole second but advanced to third as the catcher's throw was wild. Mears scored on the very next play as Domian reached on an error by the shortstop.
Cooper then got through the ninth after hitting the leadoff batter, but recovered nicely as the next batter lined out to him for a double play. Following a single, Cooper got the last Giant to pop out to give Wesley its first victory of the season.
The Wolverines actually led earlier in the game after scoring five runs in the third inning, bouncing back from the one-spot the Giants had put on them in the second. Ron Morello doubled to start the inning before scoring on a RBI single by Smith. Gobright, Domian and darling then had three-straight RBI singles before Stan Zulkowski's fielder's choice drove in another.
In the no-decision, Willey allowed five earned runs on ten hits while striking out four as Cooper struck out one while allowing just three hits.
Six Wolverines had two hits on the day while Domian and Darling also drove in a pair of runs along with their two base knocks. Smith, Mears, Speidel and Zulkowski also had multi-hit days.
The Navy & White conclude their trip on Sunday, February 23 when they take on Hampden-Sydney in a 3 pm start.