May 7, 2023

Sheeler’s blast lifts No. 2 Salisbury Baseball past UMW, 4-3

More news about: Salisbury

Batting

Salisbury
2B: none
3B: none
HR: Danny Sheeler
Mary Washington
2B: Bobby Ayscue
3B: Noah Roots
HR: none
full stats

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – An eighth-inning two-run home run off the bat of Danny Sheeler proved enough to lift the second-ranked Salisbury University baseball team past the Mary Washington Eagles, 4-3, in the regular season finale on Sunday afternoon at V. Earl Dickinson Stadium.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

  • The Sea Gulls got a boost from the bottom of their lineup in the second inning. Stephen Rice sparked the rally with a two-out base knock, followed by infield hits from Zach Geesaman and Scott Cameron to load the bases. Max Ehrhardt then rolled a two-run single up the middle to put SU on top 2-0.
  • After stranding men on base in four consecutive innings, the Eagles finally broke through in the sixth. Bobby Ayscue ripped a one-out double and Ty Lowe singled to put men on the corners. Ayscue scored on a sac fly by Noah Roots, then after a hit batsman Andrew Gerhart chopped a grounder to first that Danny Sheeler misplayed, allowing Lowe to score. Luke Guerzon followed with an RBI single to give UMW a 3-2 lead.
  • Sheeler got his redemption in the top of the eighth. After Kavi Caster drew a two-out walk, Sheeler cracked a two-run homer to right center to swing a 4-3 lead back to the Sea Gulls.
  • In the bottom of the eighth, Ayscue led off with a single and took second on an error. Brandon Epstein buckled down on the mound, though, inducing weak contact from the next three batters to strand Ayscue on third.
  • The Eagles threatened again in the bottom of the ninth, putting the tying and winning runs on base after a two-out single by Nick Ciuffreda and a walk to Jacob Christenbury. Undaunted, Epstein went after Jonathan Sedmak and got him to fly out to center, sealing the deal on another one-run win.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

  • Danny Sheeler finished 1-for-3 with the go-ahead two-run home run in the eighth, his 10th big fly of the season.
  • Sheeler becomes the second Sea Gull this season to eclipse 10 home runs, joining teammate Jacob Ference who leads the team with 11. This marks just the second time in program history SU has had two players hit double-digit homers in one season after Mike Celenza (12) and Ryan Smith (10) did so in 2009.
  • Max Ehrhardt batted 1-for-4 with two RBIs in his first start since March 5.
  • Stephen Rice went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
  • Corey Burton (2-0) earned the win after tossing a scoreless inning and a third out of the bullpen. Burton gave up just one hit and struck out one.
  • Brandon Epstein nailed down his second save of the year with two scoreless frames, scattering two hits with one walk and one punchout.
  • Jimmy Adkins put together 5.2 strong innings in a no-decision. Adkins gave up three runs (one earned) on five hits with one walk and six strikeouts.
  • Salisbury's last four wins have all come by one run; SU is 6-1 in one-run games this season.
  • The victory extends the Sea Gulls' winning streak over Mary Washington to 18 games. Salisbury last lost to the Eagles on Apr. 4, 2016.

MARY WASHINGTON GAME NOTES

  • Luke Guerzon finished 2-for-4 with an RBI.
  • Noah Roots went 1-for-2 with a triple and a rib-eye.
  • Bobby Ayscue doubled and scored a run, finishing 2-for-4.
  • Jackson Myers (4-4) battled in a hard-luck loss for the Eagles, allowing four runs on five hits over eight-plus innings. Myers struck out eight against one walk.

UP NEXT

  • Salisbury finishes the regular season with a 29-5 record, including a 3-1 mark in Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) play, which ties for first in the conference with Christopher Newport.
  • With the Sea Gulls and Captains splitting their two meetings, seeding for next weekend's C2C Tournament will be determined by the final Massey Ratings of the regular season.
  • The top seed will host the three-team tournament that begins on Friday at noon.

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 men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. 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 44 Academic All-Americans.

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