March 1, 2023

No. 1 Salisbury Baseball puts away VWU, 10-4

More news about: Salisbury

Batting

Salisbury
2B: Cameron Hyder 2; Kavi Caster; Stephen Rice
3B: none
HR: Danny Sheeler
Virginia Wesleyan
2B: Chris Mitchell; Connor Hall; Matt Sinko
3B: none
HR: none
full stats

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The top-ranked Salisbury University baseball team kept the ball rolling in its first road game of the year, putting the Virginia Wesleyan Marlins away late to win 10-4 on Wednesday afternoon at Perry Field.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

  • The Marlins scratched out an early lead in the bottom of the first inning. Jaelen Hines led off with a single, then two batters later Connor Hall hit a double to left but Hines was thrown out at the plate. Matt Sinko followed with a double of his own to score Hall and make it 1-0.
  • The Sea Gulls countered in the top of the third. Dom Frigiola worked a leadoff walk and Cameron Hyder bunted him up to second. Two batters later Kavi Caster pegged a game-tying single and promptly stole second base. Danny Sheeler then brought Caster home with a base knock, putting SU on top 2-1.
  • Jacob Ference legged out a one-out single in the top of the fourth. After a flyout and a walk, Hyder doubled to bring Ference in and make it 3-1.
  • Salisbury blew the doors off in the top of the seventh. With one out and men on second and third after an Adam Tommer walk, Hyder bunt single and sac bunt, Caster banged an RBI double off the wall in center. Sheeler followed with a towering three-run homer to boost the SU advantage to 7-1.
  • Stephen Rice kept the train rolling with a double and advanced home on an error with Roman March at the plate and a balk. After a walk and another error, Tommer brought a run home on a sac fly, and Hyder laced an RBI double to left to make it a seven-run seventh and a 10-1 Sea Gull lead.
  • VWU answered with three runs in the home seventh on a Ty Kranz RBI single, Chris Mitchell RBI double and a sac fly from hall to make it 10-4.
  • In the bottom of the eighth the Marlins loaded the bases with two out, but Brandon Epstein got Mitchell to pop out to the catcher to get out of trouble. Zach Adams finished off a 1-2-3 ninth to salt away the 10-4 margin.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

  • Danny Sheeler went 2-for-4 with his fifth home run in six games and four RBIs.
  • Kavi Caster batted 2-for-5 with a double, two RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base.
  • Cameron Hyder doubled twice, finishing 3-for-5 with a run and two RBIs.
  • Jacob Ference went 1-for-3 with a pair of runs and a pair of walks.
  • Benji Thalheimer (1-0) overcame a rocky first inning for a strong effort in his first start of the season, allowing one run on five hits in five frames with no walks and seven strikeouts. He allowed only two hits over his final four innings of action.
  • Corey Burton handled the sixth and seventh on the hill, while Robbie Hollenbeck and Brandon Epstein combined for a scoreless eighth.
  • Zach Adams posted a perfect ninth with one strikeout in his first pitching appearance in over a year. Adams took the bump for the only time previously on Feb. 12, 2022, against Alfred State.

VIRGINIA WESLEYAN GAME NOTES

  • Connor Hall finished 2-for-4 with a double, run and RBI.
  • Matt Sinko doubled in a run and went 2-for-5.
  • Zach Megaro (0-1) took the loss in relief for the Marlins, allowing the tying and go-ahead runs in his only inning of work in the third.
  • Micah Fox pitched a perfect first inning in an abbreviated start.

UP NEXT

  • The Sea Gulls return to Salisbury for a seven-game homestand, beginning with a doubleheader against TCNJ on Saturday morning.
  • First pitch of the opener from Donnie Williams 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. The second game will follow 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first.

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, Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse 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 43 Academic All-Americans.

To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or on social media @SUSeaGulls.