BRIDGEWATER, Va. - The Washington and Lee University baseball team dropped a 9-8 heart breaker in 12 innings to No. 9 Bridgewater College on Saturday afternoon in game one of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) best-of-three opening series.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Eagles (31-10) opened the scoring in the bottom of the third as Ashton Smith and Jakson Walter both drew walks before Zack Chadwell doubled off the left field wall to give Bridgewater a 2-0 lead.
- W&L (20-13-1) responded in the top of the fourth as Alex Caywood drew an eight-pitch walk to lead off the inning before Jackson Rogish beat out an infield single to put a pair on. After a sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position, Andrew Thornton blasted a single through the middle to knot the game at two.
- After a scoreless sixth inning, Jackson Rogish reached on a fielder's choice before Nick Caywood reached on an errant throw from the Eagles' third baseman, allowing Rogish to score from first and give the Generals a 3-2 lead.
- In the bottom of the seventh, Trent Holland led off the inning with a single before Smith singled to center to put runners on the corners. Nick Stavros drove in Holland with a ground-rule double to right center field, tying the game at three.
- The Blue and White wasted no time responding as William Melton blasted a solo home run over the left field fence on the second pitch of the eighth to put the Generals back in front by one. With two outs, Rogish doubled off the center field fence before moving over to third on a wild pitch. Following an N. Caywood walk, Thornton drove in his third run of the game as he poked one through the right side to give W&L a 5-3 lead.
- However, Bridgewater answered with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the frame. Chandler Valbak beat out an infield single before Bransen Hensley drew a walk. After both runners moved over on a sacrifice bunt, Valbak scored on a wild pitch to cut the Generals' lead to one. Holland drove in Hensley the next at-bat as he singled up the middle before TJ Johnson singled through the right side to put a pair of runners on.
- Holland scored the next at-bat as Smith singled to center field to make it 6-5 before Stavros drew a walk to load the bases. Jakson Walter flew out to right field, which seemed to be deep enough to score another run, but John Turner threw out Johnson at the plate to keep it a one-run game.
- In the top of the ninth, Landen Rucker led off the inning with a single before Jonathan French came in to pinch-run. Turner moved French over on a sacrifice bunt before Nathan DeWitte singled to center, allowing French to score from second to tie the game at six.
- DeWitte, who came in to pitch in the eighth, forced a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extras.
- After scoreless 10th and 11th innings, the final five runs of the game were scored in the 12th. With two outs in the top of the 12th, N. Caywood drew a walk before Thornton sent a deep drive to right center, which seemed to be caught by the Eagles' center fielder to end the inning but fell out of his glove and over the fence for a two-run home run.
- Chadwell led off the bottom half of the inning with a six-pitch walk before moving over to second on a passed ball. Valbak drove him in the next at-bat as he singled down the left field line to cut the Generals' lead to one. Following a fly out, Bryce Suter singled up the middle before Holland drew a walk to load the bases. Johnson blasted a single through the left side of the infield, driving in a pair to walk it off for the Eagles.
W&L GAME NOTES
- The Generals dropped game one of the best-of-three series, falling to 20-13-1 on the season.
- Andrew Thornton paced the Generals' offense with a 3-for-5 effort at the plate with five RBI. Jackson Rogish had a pair of hits while Nathan DeWitte, Nick Caywood, Landen Rucker, and William Melton each had one.
- Cooper Charneco provided seven strong innings on the mound, allowing three earned runs on five hits with two strikeouts. Nathan DeWitte (2-3) was tagged with the loss after allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits with two strikeouts in his four innings of work.
BRIDGEWATER GAME NOTES
- The Eagles improved to 31-10 on the season, needing only one win tomorrow to punch their ticket to the ODAC Championship weekend in Tysons Corner, Va.
- TJ Johnson led the Eagles' offense with a 2-for-3 day at the plate, driving in the game's final two runs to secure the walk-off win. Nick Stavros, Chandler Valbak, Trent Holland and Ashton Smith each had two hits in the win.
- Cam Nuckols started the game on the mound, pitching 7.2 innings while allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits with seven strikeouts. Andrew Baugher (4-0) was credited with the win after pitching two innings, allowing two earned runs on one hit with two strikeouts.
UP NEXT
- The Generals will square off with the Eagles' tomorrow at Noon in a win or go home game. If the Blue and White win game two, a third and final game will be played at roughly 3 p.m.
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.
