SALISBURY, Md. – The ninth-ranked and top-seeded Salisbury University baseball team moved within one win of another Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) crown, outlasting the second-seeded Christopher Newport Captains, 5-4, in the opener of the best-of-three championship series on Saturday afternoon at Sea Gull Baseball Stadium.
The Sea Gulls have a chance to wrap up their second straight C2C title against the Captains at home on Sunday at 12 p.m. A CNU win would force a winner-take-all final game at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Captains grabbed control early with two runs in the first inning. Justin Bowers and Daniel Elliott strung together back-to-back two-out singles, then Michael Martorano doubled them both home to put CNU on top 2-0.
- Drew Caroline went yard to left for a solo homer in the top of the fourth, extending the Captain lead to 3-0.
- The Sea Gulls took the lead with four runs in the home fourth despite never hitting a ball that left the infield. After back-to-back one-out hit batsmen and a walk to load the bases, Scott Cameron legged out an RBI single to short to get SU on the board. Two batters later Luke Weddell hit a two-out grounder up the middle that the second baseman couldn't make a play on, allowing another run to score and make it 3-2.
- Cameron Hyder tied the game with his own RBI infield hit to short, and Patrick Campbell followed with another grounder to short to bring home Cameron and put Salisbury on top 4-3.
- The Sea Gulls got an insurance run in the fifth on two more hit batsmen and two more walks, with Cameron picking up an RBI on a bases-loaded free pass to make it 5-3.
- Scott Crosson and Bowers led off the CNU seventh with back-to-back singles, then after a sac bunt Jay Cassady lifted a flyball to center deep enough to plate Crosson and get the Captains within 5-4.
- Crosson got another CNU rally going in the top of the ninth with a one-out single. From there Benji Thalheimer locked in on the mound, striking out Bowers and Elliott back-to-back to seal the deal on a one-run victory.
SALISBURY GAME NOTES
- Scott Cameron finished 1-for-3 with a run and two RBIs to pace the Sea Gulls at the plate.
- Luke Weddell, Cameron Hyder and Patrick Campbell each finished with an RBI infield single.
- Jacob Ference doubled for SU's only extra-base hit of the game, finishing 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and a run scored. He also caught a would-be base stealer to end the eighth inning. Ference has now thrown out six runners on 10 steal attempts this season.
- Jackson Balzan (8-1) earned the win in his first start in two weeks. Balzan allowed three runs on seven hits over six innings, walking two and striking out four on 88 pitches.
- Benji Thalheimer nailed down his first career save with three strong innings in relief of Balzan, giving up one run on three hits with one walk and three punchouts.
- Before the game the Salisbury honored its six graduating seniors: infielders Sky Rahill and Trent Saunders and pitchers Jimmy Adkins, Mike Hohlfeld, Xavier Marmol and Jaret Price.
CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT GAME NOTES
- Michael Martorano hit a two-run double in his only at-bat for the Captains before leaving with an injury.
- Scott Crosson and Justin Bowers each had two hits and a run scored.
- Drew Caroline homered for the second straight day; he finished 1-for-4 with the fourth-inning solo shot.
- Dylan Weber (3-4) was strong to begin his start but faltered late to take the loss. Weber gave up five runs (four earned) on five hits in 4.1 innings, walking three batters and hitting five others while striking out three.
UP NEXT
- Game 2 of the C2C championship series at Sea Gull Baseball Stadium will begin on Sunday at 12 p.m.
- If the Sea Gulls win, they will be C2C Tournament champions. If the Captains win, the teams will play a winner-take-all Game 3 on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
- Game coverage on the Sea Gull Sports Network (SGSN) is slated to begin at 11:45 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, 188 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.