LEXINGTON, Va. - The Washington and Lee University baseball team secured a series sweep over Southern Virginia University as they defeated the Knights 13-3 (7 Inn.) on Wednesday night at Cap'n Dick Smith Field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Knights (8-20) struck first in the top of the first as Bobby Rossi singled before stealing second. He came around to score in the next at-bat as Logan Austin delivered an RBI single to left field.
- W&L (17-9-1) answered in the bottom half of the inning as Nathan DeWitte led off with a single and stole second. He scored four pitches later when Alex Caywood doubled down the left-field line to tie the game at one. Andrew Thornton followed with a single to right field, and an error by the Knights' right fielder allowed Caywood to score, giving the Generals a 2-1 lead.
- Southern Virginia tied the game at two in the top of the third after loading the bases on a single and two walks. Austin scored on a Jaxon Jones groundout.
- DeWitte wasted no time responding, leading off the bottom of the third with a solo home run to right field, his second of the season, to give W&L the lead back. Holden Bybee drew a five-pitch walk to start the fourth, stole second, and moved to third on a throwing error before scoring on a Brooks Burdette ground out to even the game at three.
- The Generals broke things open in the bottom of the fourth, plating five runs. Landen Rucker was hit by a pitch and William Melton drew a walk before Jonathan French loaded the bases with a bunt single. Ryan McGovern drew a walk to force in a run before DeWitte cleared the bases with a three-RBI triple to give W&L a 7-3 lead. He later scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-3.
- In the fifth, Rogish and Rucker drew back-to-back walks before Melton reached on an error to load the bases. McGovern beat out an infield single to extend the lead.
- W&L added four more runs in the sixth to take a 13-3 advantage. Caywood reached on an infield single and scored on a Thornton double to left-center. Thornton moved to third on a wild pitch before Rogish and Rucker drew walks to load the bases. A wild pitch brought Thornton home, and French followed with an RBI bloop single to right-center. DeWitte capped the scoring with a bases-loaded walk.
- After a lead off walk in the seventh, senior Bob Burr induced a double play and a ground out to secure the 13-3 run-rule victory.
W&L GAME NOTES
- The Blue and White moved to 17-9-1 on the season while securing their second-straight series sweep over the Knights. The win also marked their fifth consecutive win over SVU. W&L had 10 hits in 28 at-bats with four extra base hits and nine walks.
- Nathan DeWitte led the offense with a 3-for-4 effort with five RBI, narrowly hitting for the cycle with a single, a triple and a home run. Alex Caywood, Andrew Thornton and Jonathan French each had two hits in the win. Ryan McGovern had a pair of RBI as well.
- Sims DeLong (1-0) was credited with the win after tossing 1.1 innings in relief, allowing one run on one hit with a strikeout. Bob Burr pitched three shut out innings, allowing one hit while striking out a pair.
SVU GAME NOTES
- The Knights fell to 8-20 on the season.
- Logan Austin led the SVU offense with a 2-for-2 effort at the dish while driving in one run and drawing two walks. Brooks Burdette and Jaxon Jones each drove in a run as well.
- James Horsley (0-2) was tagged with the loss after allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits in three innings pitched.
UP NEXT
- The Generals will head into the All-Star break, taking ten days off before heading to Virginia Beach, Va. for a conference doubleheader at Virginia Wesleyan University on April 18th.
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
