SALISBURY, Md. – The seventh-ranked Salisbury University baseball team split a doubleheader against the ninth-ranked Rowan Profs on Saturday afternoon. The Sea Gulls won the opener 4-3, while the Profs took the nightcap 6-2.

GAME 1 BOX SCORE 

GAME 2 BOX SCORE 

HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME 1

• Justin Meekins opened things up with a bang, blasting a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first to give Salisbury an instant 1-0 lead.
• Jimmy Adkins and Meekins led off the bottom of the third with back-to-back singles. After a fielder's choice and a strikeout, Luke Weddell laced a single to left center, scoring Meekins to make it 2-0 Sea Gulls.
• Meekins was in the middle of things again in the fourth. Sky Rahill was hit by a pitch with one out and then shimmied out of a pickoff to steal second. With two down, Meekins went up the middle for a base hit, plating Rahill to put Salisbury up 3-0.
• The Profs came to life in the fifth. Ryan Murphy hit a sun-assisted triple to left field, then Eric DiDominico drove him in with a grounder that resulted in a drop at first base and an error. Two batters later, Ryan Mostrangeli hit a run-scoring double, cutting the SU lead to 3-2.
• Salisbury got one of those runs back in the sixth. Jacob Ference drew a one-out walk then went all the way to third on a wild pitch. Rahill followed with a single to bring Ference home and make it 4-2 Sea Gulls.
• Rowan's last gasp came in the eighth. A hit batsman, walk and error loaded the bases with one out. Trip McCaffrey then hit a sac fly to right to cut the deficit to 4-3.
• That was as close as the Profs would get, though. Sea Gull reliever Clayton Dwyer got Michael Manganella to ground out to first to end the eighth, then Adkins pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to nail down the win.

SALISBURY GAME 1 NOTES

• Justin Meekins finished 3-for-4 with a homer, two runs and two RBIs.
• Sky Rahill provided a spark from the eight-hole, going 1-for-2 with a walk, run and RBI.
• Brock Hilligoss (1-0) picked up the win in relief for the Sea Gulls, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits in 2.2 innings, walking one and striking out one.
• Christian Murphy started the game and went 2.1 scoreless innings, walking two and fanning one.
• Clayton Dwyer relieved Hilligoss, allowing an unearned run with one walk and five strikeouts over three strong innings. Jimmy Adkins picked up his first save of the year with a perfect ninth.

ROWAN GAME 1 NOTES

• Trip McCaffrey, Eric DiDomenico and Ryan Monstrageli each had an RBI for the Profs.
• Eli Atiya (0-1) took the loss for Rowan, surrendering three runs on four hits in 3.1 frames.

HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME 2

• Trip McCaffrey got Rowan going in the top of the second with a leadoff triple. A couple walks loaded the bases, then Jason Bobiak hit a sharp single to left, scoring two to put the Profs up 2-0.
• The two teams each traded a run in the fifth and seventh innings. In the Rowan fifth, Alex Kokos poked a two-out RBI single to center to go up 3-0.
• In the Salisbury fifth, Brandon Bonesteel drew a one-out walk, then two batters later Christian Murphy smoked a double to right to bring Bonesteel home and get SU back within 3-1.
• Kokos again produced for Rowan in the seventh, doubling to center with two outs to drive in another run. The Sea Gulls responded in their half of the seventh, as Jimmy Adkins led off with a single and came home on a Bonesteel double to left, making it 4-2 Profs.
• Rowan put it away with insurance runs in the eighth and ninth. Ryan Murphy belted a solo homer to left in the eighth, then Kokos drove in his third run of the game in the ninth with a single, giving the game its final margin and Salisbury its first loss of the year.

SALISBURY GAME 2 NOTES

• Christian Murphy went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs off the bench for the Sea Gulls.
• Brandon Bonesteel finished 2-for-3 with a double, run and RBI.
• Justin McDermott (0-1) was saddled with the loss for Salisbury, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks in one-plus inning.

ROWAN GAME 2 NOTES

• Alex Kokos powered the Profs offense from the three-hole, going 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs.
• Ryan Murphy finished 3-for-3 with a solo homer and two runs.
• Ryan McIsaac went 2-for-5 with a double and two runs out of the leadoff slot.
• Zach Listro (1-0) earned the win at the scorekeeper's discretion for Rowan, finishing the game with three perfect innings and three strikeouts.

UP NEXT

• Salisbury turns around and hosts TCNJ in another doubleheader on Sunday afternoon.
• First pitch from Sea Gull Baseball Stadium is set for 12 p.m. with coverage beginning on the Sea Gull Sports Network (SGSN) at 11:45 a.m.