SALISBURY, Md. – The eighth-ranked Salisbury University baseball team used a seven-run second inning to roll by the Alfred State Pioneers, 8-4, on Friday afternoon at Sea Gull Baseball Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Matteo Avallone gave the Pioneers an early 1-0 lead with an opposite-field solo home run in the top of the second.
- The Sea Gulls answered by sending 12 men to the plate and scoring seven runs in the home second. Sky Rahill got the party started with a leadoff single, then Dom Frigiola doubled and Josh Barke walked two batters later to load the bases. Patrick Campbell came up next and chipped a bases-clearing triple into right to give SU the lead. Campbell then came home on a Kavi Caster sac fly that made it 4-1.
- With the bases empty and two out, Stephen Rice and Cameron Hyder were both plunked, then Ben Anderson blasted a two-run triple into center and later scored on a wild pitch to build the Salisbury advantage to 7-1.
- ASC got two runs back in the fourth. With men on second and third and one out, Bobby Sellers bounced a two-run double down the left field line that got the Pioneers back within 7-3.
- The Pioneers chipped away one more in the top of the eighth. Nick Serce drew a leadoff walk, then Avallone singled to put two men on. After a fielder's choice and a strikeout, Sam Dickerson snuck a grounder through the middle for a single to score Serce and make it 7-4.
- Caster got that run back for Salisbury in the eighth with a line drive solo home run to dead center, his fourth of the year, to get it to the winning 8-4 margin.
SALISBURY GAME NOTES
- Patrick Campbell provided a spark from the bottom of the lineup, going 1-for-2 with a triple and three RBIs.
- Kavi Caster finished 1-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs.
- Ben Anderson also tripled and drove in a pair of runs, finishing 1-for-4.
- Stephen Rice went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored, while Sky Rahill had two hits and scored a run.
- Xavier Marmol (2-0) worked 5.1 innings in a winning effort, allowing three runs on five hits with two walks and five punchouts.
- Brandon Epstein tossed 2.2 innings in relief of Marmol, giving up one run on three hits. Corey Burton came in with a runner on first and no out in the ninth, coaxing a double play and one more groundout to finish the job with a clean ninth.
ALFRED STATE GAME NOTES
- Matteo Avallone led the way for the Pioneers, going 3-for-4 with a homer and two runs scored.
- Bobby Sellers finished 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.
- Chris Baldwin (0-1) got knocked out in the second inning after allowing seven runs on six hits in just 1.2 frames.
UP NEXT
- The Sea Gulls now turn their attention to former conference rival York (Pa.) on Saturday morning.
- First pitch from Sea Gull Baseball Stadium is set for 11 a.m. with coverage on the Sea Gull Sports Network (SGSN) beginning at 10:45 a.m.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and the Metropolitan Swimming and Diving Conference for men's and women's swimming. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, and dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on-and-off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 22 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 186 conference championships and 41 Academic All-Americans.
To learn more about the tradition of excellence with Sea Gull Athletics, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or on social media @SUSeaGulls.