LYNCHBURG, Va. -- The sixth-seeded Washington and Lee baseball
team won its first-ever ODAC title by defeating second-seeded
Virginia Wesleyan, 10-6, on Sunday evening at Lynchburg City
Stadium.
W&L (22-13) scored six runs in the first inning and assumed a
10-1 lead after four innings in winning its first ODAC-title and
just its second conference crown in the 102-year history of the
program. The Generals' last conference crown came in 1972
when they won the College Athletic Conference.
Washington and Lee sent nine men to the plate in the top half of
the opening frame in scoring six runs highlighted by a three-run
homerun from sophomore designated hitter Drew Dezen (Greenville,
S.C./Greenville Senior).
W&L again batted around in the fourth inning in plating
another four runs to take a 10-0 lead before the Marlins (26-14)
tallied their first run in the bottom of the frame. VWC would add
two runs in the sixth inning and three more in eighth, but the
Generals held on for the 10-6 win.
Senior second baseman Byron Peyster (Washington, D.C./Maret) led
W&L at the plate, finishing 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs
scored. Junior catcher Will Lewis (Columbia, S.C./A.C. Flora) and
senior centerfielder Terrence McKelvey (East Islip, N.Y./East
Islip) each added a pair of base hits and scored two runs.
Senior righthander Andrew Henderson (Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy)
earned the win (2-2), allowing three runs on seven hits in five
innings of work. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.
Myles Shipp led VWC with three hits in five at-bats and two RBI.
C.J. Rhodes was 3-for-5 with a run scored and Mike Marion finished
3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI. Gary Bulman started for the
Marlins and took the loss (4-3) as he allowed four runs on three
hits and a walk in just 0.1 innings.
Peyster, McKelvey, junior third baseman Jim Plantholt (Pylesville,
Md./North Harford), sophomore rightfielder Anthony Cardona (Lower
Gwynedd, Pa./Chestnut Hill) and junior righthander Chuck Davidson
(Winnetka, Ill./New Trier) were all named to the all-tournament
team. Davidson was named the tournament's Most Outstanding
Player.
W&L earns the ODAC's automatic bid to the NCAA
Tournament and will await word on its first-round opponent. NCAA
Regionals run from May 13-17.
2009 ODAC All-Tournament Team
C - Zach Harrelson, HSC
1B - Mike Marion, VWC
2B - Byron Peyster, W&L
SS - Brandon Hathaway, VWC
3B - Jim Plantholt, W&L
OF - Myles Shipp, VWC
OF - Anthony Cardona, W&L
OF - Terrence McKelvey, W&L
DH - Herbie Williams, HSC
P & MOP - Chuck Davidson, W&L
-- GENERALS
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