KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- The Washington & Jefferson baseball team split the first doubleheader of its spring trip to Florida, taking the first game against William Patterson by a final score of 8-7.
Game 1 - W&J 8, William Patterson 7
The Presidents got to the Pioneers early in the game with Josh Crummer (Great Falls, Va./Flint Hill School) smacking a bases-clearing three-run double to left to give W&J a 4-0 lead after one.
James Artale (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) further extended the advantage, plating two in the second to put the Red & Black up 6-0.
William Patterson answered by taking the lead over the next 3.0 innings. The Pioneers scored seven straight runs to take a 7-6 lead into the sixth inning.
Trailing in the top of the seventh, the Presidents began to rally. Dante Dalesandro (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) started the comeback with a sac bunt attempt that the opposing pitcher tossed over the third baseman, which allowed Spencer Howell (Oakwood, Ohio/Oakwood) to score from second.
W&J took the lead three batters later, when Michael Zito's (Nashville, Tenn./Hume-Fogg) grounder was misplayed by the shortstop, allowing James Artale (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) to get home from third.
Clay Martin (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) came in, in the ninth and pitched a clean inning to pick up the save. Martin logged two strikeouts and one ground ball to pick up his second save of the season.
Ben Marsico (Bradford Woods, Pa./North Allegheny) started and went 4.2 innings and allowed all seven runs for W&J. Jansen Eichenlaub (Export, Pa./Franklin Regional) earned the win with 1.0 innings, striking out two in the process.
Game 2 - William Patterson 5, W&J 3
The second game was more of pitching battle, as the Presidents did not get their first hit until the bottom of the fifth frame. Without a hit through the first few frames, the Red & Black trailed 3-0.
The Presidents got the offense going in the fifth, scoring their first run with a triple from Jackson Russell (Burke, Va./Robinson), his first career hit. Russell drove in Crummer, whose single broke up the no-hitter.
The Presidents scored one run in both the sixth and the seventh, but it proved to not be enough in a 5-3 defeat. Mullen Socha (Independence, Ohio/St. Ignatius) and Russell paced the offense with two hits each.
Santino Platt (Pittsburgh, Pa./OLSH) started and went 5.0 innings in a losing effort. Josh Palma (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) and James Trainor (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) both appeared in relief going 1.0 innings and allowing one run.
The Red & Black continue spring action tomorrow morning with a 12:30 p.m. showdown against Wheaton in Auburndale, Fla.