BRIDGEWATER, Va. - Mary Washington took advantage of two Bridgewater errors in the top of the ninth to score four unearned runs and take an 8-7 victory in non-conference baseball action.
Mary Washington touched BC starter Kyle Henshaw for two runs in the top of the first. Leadoff batter Connor Lilly singled and Brendan Jones reached on an error to put two runners on with no outs. Seth Jordan moved the runners up with a sacrifice bunt and Jono Haught chased them both home with a double, giving the visitors a 2-0 lead.
The lead didn't last long as the Eagles answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning. Nick Fulk led off with a double to left and moved to third on a single by Bryan Sanderson. Jonathan Mason then belted a three-homer to give BC the lead. The Eagles weren't finished as Andrew Hacker doubled and scored on a two-out single by Zach Hynes, making the score 4-2.
A run-scoring single by Jones added a run for Mary Washington in the top of the second, but the Eagles responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning to lead 6-3.
Fulk singled with one out in the second and took second on a balk. Sanderson doubled down the left field line to score Fulk and a double by Hacker chased Sanderson home to give the Eagles a 6-3 lead.
Mary Washington made it 6-4 with a run in the fifth, but Tyler Slanovec came out of the bullpen and pitched three scoreless innings to preserve the two-run lead for Bridgewater.
Bridgewater tacked on what looked to be an important insurance run in the eighth. With one out, Sanderson singled and moved to third on a two-out single by Hacker. Hunter Hensley then lined a single to center, scoring Sanderson for a 7-4 lead.
Things unraveled for Bridgewater in the ninth. The leadoff batter Jordan reached on an error, prompting head coach Curt Kendall to go to the bullpen for Ryan Leake to face lefty hitter Haught. Leake, however, hit Haught with a pitch and the Eagles went to the pen again, this time for Justin Petock.
Cam Kostyack hit a one-hopper back to the mound for a possible double-play ball. Petock's throw to second was wide and low and Jordan raced home from second on the play, making the score 7-5. T.J. Cretney then put down a bunt to move runners to second and third with one out. James Sink then grounded out to first for the second out as Haught scored on the play to make it a one-run game. Pinch-hitter Connor Finnerty was down to his last strike before belting a triple to dead-center, tying the score at 7-7. Finnerty scored the go-ahead run when Kevin Stein hit a slow chopper toward short that Hynes was unable to field cleanly.
Bridgewater got the tying run aboard in the bottom of the ninth when Armstrong beat out an infield single with one out, but righthander Joey Carleton retired Darren Yoder on a fly to center and Fulk on a grounder to short to close out the comeback victory for Mary Washington.
Armstrong led Bridgewater's 16-hit attack with a 4-for-5 day at the plate. Sanderson and Hacker added three hits each while Fulk and Hynes each finished with two hits.
Carleton worked the final two innings to pick up the victory for Mary Washington. He allowed one run on four hits.
Slanovec turned in a stellar relief effort for Bridgewater as he pitched three innings and allowed one unearned run on one hit. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.
Bridgewater is now 17-7 on the season while Mary Washington improves to 17-10.
Bridgewater returns to conference action Saturday when the Eagles host Hampden-Sydney for a doubleheader. First pitch is set for noon.