WINCHESTER, Va. – No. 1/6 Shenandoah University earned its 20th victory of the 2011 baseball season with a 7-2 non-league victory over Virginia Wesleyan Monday afternoon.
The Hornets (20-1) scored six runs in the third and one in the sixth to dispatch the Marlins (12-16).
SU got all of the offense it would need in the bottom of the third by scoring six runs on six hits.
Senior Clint DeHaven had the big blow, crushing a fastball over the right-field fence for a grand slam home run off of Marlins starter Jimmy Bowman (0-1).
VWC had taken a 2-0 lead in the top of third by taking advantage of an error to extend the inning and then getting a Jacob Pierce two-run dinger to right.
Pierce's home run was about the only mistake that senior All-America Greg Van Sickler (7-0) made on the mound all day.
On a pitch limit because of an expected start Saturday at No. 5 Christopher Newport, Van Sickler allowed the two unearned runs on four hits and no walks in 6.0 innings.
He threw 65 pitches and struck out six before turning it over to Vince Claudio for the start of the seventh.
Claudio was dominant in his second relief appearance of the season, facing the minimum nine batters to claim his first save of the spring. Claudio struck out three.
SU banged out 14 hits in the victory, including four by first baseman Nick Beall and two each by Mike Smith and Christian Frey.
Van Sickler was 1 for 3 and drove in the Hornets final run with a single up the middle. The RBI is the 169th of his career, making him the all-time leader at SU.
Shenandoah hosts Catholic on Thursday at 3:30 in another non-league contest.