FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The fourth-ranked Salisbury University baseball team clinched homefield advantage through the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) Tournament, beating the Mary Washington Eagles 12-1 for its fifth straight win on Saturday afternoon at Earl Dickinson Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After two quiet innings, the Sea Gulls capitalized on two big UMW mistakes in the third. Scott Cameron led off with a double, and Jacob Ference walked to put two men on. After a sac bunt an intentional walk to load the bases, Luke Weddell hit a would-be double play ball that turned into an error at second, allowing Cameron and Ference to score. Meekins soon came home on a wild pitch, putting SU on top 3-0.
- Sky Rahill sparked another rally in the fourth with a one-out single, and Christian Murphy followed by getting hit by a pitch. After a groundout to advance the runners, Ference struck out but reached on a wild pitch that allowed Rahill to score. Murphy and Ference then executed the double steal from the corners to get Murphy home, and Cullen McAuliffe hit a single to left to score Ference and make it 6-0 Sea Gulls.
- McAuliffe stayed hot at the plate in the sixth, slashing a two-out double down the left field line to score Murphy and push the Sea Gull lead to 7-0.
- Mary Washington finally got on the board in the bottom of the seventh. Ty Lowe led off with a single and David Lambertson followed with a walk. After a strikeout and a wild pitch, Alex Purgason singled up the middle to score Lowe and get the Eagles within 7-1.
- The rally stalled from there, though, as with two on and two out Clayton Dwyer came in from the bullpen and forced Caleb McAlister to ground into a force out to retire the side.
- Salisbury piled on and put the game out of reach in the eighth. Matt Padeway led off with a walk and Joey Bowers came in to pinch-run. After a bad pickoff move put Bowers on third, Cameron drew a walk and the Sea Gulls converted another double steal to get Bowers home to make it 8-1 SU.
- Ference came up next and singled, and McAuliffe was plunked to load the bases. Meekins then poked a base hit into right to score a pair. After a wild pitch, Weddell rolled into an RBI groundout, and three batters later Rahill singled into left to drive home the fifth run of the inning, giving the Sea Gulls their final 12-1 lead.
SALISBURY GAME NOTES
- Justin Meekins and Cullen McAuliffe led the Sea Gull offense from the leadoff slot and the nine-hole, respectively. Meekins finished 1-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs, while McAuliffe went 2-for-2 with a double, run, two RBIs and a stolen base.
- Jacob Ference went 1-for-3 with three runs scored, while Christian Murphy had a hit and two runs.
- Scott Cameron picked up his fifth extra-base hit in five games, going 1-for-3 with a double and two runs scored.
- Xavier Marmol (2-0) moved from the bullpen to the rotation and won his first start of the season, allowing one run on four hits in 6.1 innings with three walks and six strikeouts.
- Murphy and Clayton Dwyer combined to get the final two outs of the seventh, while Aaron Combs and Brock Hilligoss handled a scoreless eighth and ninth, respectively.
MARY WASHINGTON GAME NOTES
- Alex Pergason went 1-for-2 with an RBI, while Ty Lowe scored the Eagles' only run of the game.
- David Lambertson had two of UMW's seven hits, all singles.
- Zach Adams (2-6) was undone by defensive miscues in a losing effort, allowing five runs (three earned) on two hits in 3.1 with two walks and one strikeout.
- The Eagles committed four errors, allowing a pair of unearned runs to score. Three other runs scored after a dropped third strike with two outs in the fourth.
UP NEXT
- The Sea Gulls return home for their final three games of the regular season, starting on Wednesday afternoon against St. Mary's (Md.).
- First pitch from Sea Gull Baseball Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m. with coverage beginning on the Sea Gull Sports Network (SGSN) at 3:15 p.m.