LYNCHBURG, Va. (May 21, 2022) - Salve Regina University sophomore center fielder Brandon Grover (Ashland, Mass.) went 5-for-5 including a walk-off double to deliver the Seahawks a comeback victory over Earlham College, 7-6, to stay alive in the NCAA Division III Baseball Regionals hosted by University of Lynchburg at Bank of the James Stadium. Earlham (26-13) has been eliminated while Salve Regina (29-12-2) will play the loser of the matchup between Birmingham-Southern College and the host Hornets (approximately 6:15 p.m.).
Graduate student Patrick Maybach (Saunderstown, R.I.) pitched three innings of scoreless relief to pick up his seventh win of the season (7-2).
After leading 6-0 in the middle of the fifth frame, the Quakers were shut out for the remainder of the contest.
Devin Basley (Allen Park, Mich.) led the Quaker bats with three hits on the day, including a triple and a double, and brought in two RBI. Zach Swearingen (Romeoville, Ill.) went two-for-two at the plate with two hits and one RBI.
Aidan Talarek (Middletown, Ohio) started the game on the mound and threw 5 and 1/3 innings with six strikeouts. He surrendered one earned run in the fifth inning, and two in the sixth.
Salve Regina scored its first run of the contest in the bottom of the fifth inning after Wil McCarthy (Pembroke, Mass.) and Grover started the frame with back-to-back singles and a fielder's choice grounder put runners on the corners with one out. Seahawk second baseman Chris Veneruso (Westport, Mass.) delivered the run with a deep sacrifice fly to right center.
After a lengthy delay in the top of thje sixth with a challenge of a stolen base at second, Grover's catch and throw from center field to third base made an inning-ending double play.
Salve Regina added three in the bottom of the sixth when Dustin Siqueira (Trumbull, Conn.) led off with a single and advanced to second on a throwing error. Dylan Ketch (Clinton, Conn.) singled in the second run with a shot to right center. Grover's third single produced his first RBI and the Seahawk deficit was cut in half, 6-3. Kyle Platt's (Bethel, Conn.) bunt single loaded the bases and a walk to Veneruso chased Talarek with the Quakers now leading by two, 6-4.
In the Seahawk eighth, back-to-back singles by McCarthy and Grover had runners at the corners with no outs. Platt's sacrifice bunt drew the Seahawks one run closer. Grover scored the tying run on a single to first base by senior Jared Beniers (Abington, Mass.).
In the top of the ninth, Maybach induced a grounder to Siqueira at short for the first out. A walk was followed by a pinch runner at first who was erased on a bouble-play fly ball to Matt D'Amato (Midland, R.I.) in right field to set up Grover's walk-off heroics.
Cannoe had a one-out single and moved to second when Ketch pulled a grounder to first. McCarthy walked on four pitches and the first pitch to Grover was drilled to deep center.
Earlham concludes its season with a second trip to the NCAA Regional Tournament within five years. The Quakers have 11 graduating seniors on the roster, but a few could suit up again next year thanks to the blanket waiver by the NCAA during the pandemic.
See the full tournament schedule here.
POSTGAME INTERVIEWS
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