HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. -- Freshman Jake Moore (Dry Fork) had three hits, including a triple and a double, along with an RBI, while sophomore Greer Farr (Southern Shores, NC) added two hits and an RBI, to lead Hampden-Sydney College to a 7-2 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) baseball home win past Virginia Wesleyan University on Wednesday afternoon on Yank Bernier Field at the Ty Cobb Ballpark – Wurdeman Stadium. Sophomore Sterling Austin (Petersburg) pitched his first collegiate complete game victory with a career-high six strikeouts on the mound for the host Tigers (12-17, 6-11) against the visiting Marlins (19-13, 10-7). The Garnet & Grey completed the season sweep against VWU (10-4, April 3 in Virginia Beach), and kept their conference tournament hopes alive, as well.

H-SC scored seven runs on 12 hits with two errors … scoring two runs in the first inning, one run each in the second and fifth innings, two runs in the seventh and one run in the eighth. VWU scored two runs on three hits with two errors … scoring the two runs in the fifth inning.

In the first, junior Grayson Harris (Moseley) (2-5) doubled to right field as the lead-off batter and scored unearned from second base when junior Jaxon Masterson (Raleigh, NC) reached on a throwing error by the pitcher while laying down a sacrifice bunt and advanced to second. Masterson moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Matthew Arnold (Danville) (1-4), and crossed the plate via an RBI ground ball off the bat or junior team captain Christian Lancaster (Danville) (1-3, RBI) for an early 2-0 advantage.

In the second, Moore (3-3, RBI) doubled off the wall in left field to begin the at-bat and advanced to third base on a sacrifice bunt by senior Tillman Butler (Culpeper) (1-2, RBI), scoring when freshman Jase Howell (Portsmouth) (1-3, RBI) reached on a fielding error at shortstop to make it 3-0.

In the fifth, Lancaster doubled near the right field line with one out and moved to third base on a deep fly ball out to the left field wall by Farr (2-5, RBI), scoring on an RBI triple to the wall in right center field by Moore for a 4-2 lead.

In the seventh, Lancaster was hit by a pitch to open the frame, advanced to second base on another fly ball out to by Farr—this time to center field—and scored on an RBI single to left field by Butler. Junior Christian Chambers (Midlothian), who was pinch-running for Moore, who had walked with one out during the at-bat, advanced to third on the single by Butler and crossed the plate when Howell followed with an RBI single to center field—making it 6-2.

In the eighth, Arnold doubled to right field with one out and was replaced by a pinch-runner in junior Jahiem Green (Stafford), who scored on an RBI single to center field by Farr for the final five-run margin of victory.

Austin (2-3) handled the rest for the Tigers with his sterling effort, starting and going the complete-game distance of 9.0 outstanding innings, scattering three hits and two runs, one earned, with the career-high six strikeouts and only two walks with a hit batter. He retired the side in order in the first, third, fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings, allowing just two extra base hits and aided by two double-plays behind him. Austin threw 111 pitches, 76 for strikes, while facing 33 batters and inducing 11 fly ball outs and eight ground ball outs.

H-SC plays on the road at ODAC opponent Averett University on Saturday, April 20, a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. in Danville.