FERRUM, Va. – The Washington and Lee baseball team took game one of an ODAC road doubleheader against Ferrum by a 4-2 score, before dropping the second game, 11-7, on Saturday.
In game one, Ferrum (6-18, 3-12 ODAC) sophomore catcher Justin Brady scored on a wild pitch in the second inning to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
The Generals (5-11, 5-11 ODAC) tied the game in the fourth on a single from sophomore center fielder
Mitchell Salvino (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Catholic), and then took a 3-1 lead after a two-run fifth inning. Junior catcher
Luke Czepiel (Devon, Pa./Conestoga) had an RBI single in the frame, and junior first baseman
Brian Wickman (Whitehouse Station, N.J./Hunterdon Central Regional) scored on a wild pitch.
Brady singled in the bottom of the fifth to pull the Panthers back within a run at 3-2, but sophomore left fielder
Zach Perkins (Vienna, Va./James Madison) scored on a wild pitch in the seventh inning to cap the scoring.
W&L senior righty
Mason Shuffler (Lafayette, La./Episcopal School of Acadiana) (1-0) earned the win after he allowed two runs on three hits over five innings. Senior right-hander
Matt Whitely (Salem, Va./Hidden Valley) earned his first collegiate save, as he tossed the final four innings and allowed just two baserunners to secure the win.
Shuffler and Whitely combined to allow just three hits, the fewest hits allowed by the W&L pitching staff since the team allowed three hits in a 9-1 win over Averett on February 10, 2019.
Ferrum scored four of the first five runs in game two. Sophomore second baseman Ozzie Torres scored on a ground out in the first and then reached on an error in the second while senior center fielder Grey Sherfey scored on the play. Senior left fielder Josh Greenway drove in a run as well on an RBI double in the second.
The Generals scored their first run in the second on a base hit to left from first-year shortstop
Ethan Zulueta (Matthews, N.C./Weddington), but the Panthers pushed their lead back to three runs on an RBI ground out from first-year catcher Jackson Horton in the bottom of the third.
The score held at 4-1 until the bottom of the seventh, when Ferrum pushed seven runs across to take an 11-1 lead. Senior third baseman Matt Yarbrough drove in one and sophomore first baseman Grayson Chitwood brought two runs home on singles. The other four Ferrum runs in the inning scored on bases-loaded walks.
W&L went down fighting, however, as the team scored four runs in the eighth and two in the ninth. In the eighth, junior second baseman
Chapin Bassi (Concord, N.H./St. John's School) tripled home Wickman, before Salvino doubled in Bassi. Junior
Jackson Gazin (Reisterstown, Md./Boys' Latin School of Md.) pinch hit and singled in a run and sophomore third baseman
Luke Erdmann (Vienna, Va./James Madison) walked with the bases loaded.
In the ninth, Bassi scored on a fielding error from the right fielder and Zulueta capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly to center.
Bassi and Perkins had two hits in both games, as Bassi scored twice and drove in one run. First-year catcher
Jaden Keuhner (Aldie, Va./John Champe) went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in game two. First-year left-hander
Thomas Haller (Round Hill, Va./Woodgrove) (0-3) suffered the game two loss after he allowed four runs (two earned) on four hits in 5.0 innings of work.
For the Panthers, Chitwood was the only player to record a hit in both games, as he went 2-for-7 combined with two runs and two RBI. Greenway and junior right fielder Rufus Hurdle both had two hits in game two and combined for two runs and three RBI.
On the mound, sophomore lefty Devon Boothe (1-4) tossed eight innings in game two and allowed five runs on 12 hits to earn the win. Junior right-hander Will Davis (2-3) was the pitcher of record in game one, as he worked the first 7.0 innings and allowed four runs on 12 hits.
The Generals will return to the diamond on Wednesday when they host Eastern Mennonite at 6:00 pm.
