EMORY, Va. – The Virginia Wesleyan College Baseball Team (9-13, 3-5 ODAC) picked up a doubleheader sweep of Emory & Henry College (8-11, 5-5 ODAC) Saturday afternoon in Old Dominion Athletic Conference action at Porterfield/DeVault Field. The Marlins won by scores of 10-3 and 8-4.
Game One – Virginia Wesleyan 10, Emory & Henry 3
The Marlins jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the first inning thanks in part to a two-run single to centerfield by Taylor Erby. VWC pushed the advantage to 7-0 in the top of the second with RBI singles by Brett Sutryk and C.J. Lindsay.
Emory & Henry got on the board in the bottom of the second. With senior catcher Connor Wise (Cookeville, Tenn.) on second base, the Virginia Wesleyan defense attempted a pickoff, but a pair of errors allowed him to come home and score. Sophomore third baseman Matthew McInaw (Honey Brook, Pa.) drove in a run in the inning as well.
The Wasps made the score 7-3 in the bottom of the fifth when freshman centerfielder Matthew Whisnant (Connelly Springs, N.C.) hit a solo home run to left centerfield for his first collegiate round-tripper.
VWC added two runs in the sixth on a double by Zach Bach and capped the scoring with a final run in the ninth for the final 10-3 margin.
Sutryk was two-for-four with three runs scored while Bach drove in a trio in the game. Nic Kurz also had a pair of hits and scored three runs. Alex Tucci picked up the win on the hill, scattering three runs and three hits over six innings of work with five strikeouts. Brooks Kirby picked up the save, pitching the final three innings of the game in shutout fashion.
Whisnant was two-for-four in the game to lead E&H while senior designated hitter D.J. Russ (Greensboro, N.C.) had a hit and a run scored. Junior left-hander Aaron Sparks (Troutman, N.C.) allowed nine runs on 10 hits in 5.2 innings, falling to 2-2 with the loss.
Game Two – Virginia Wesleyan 8, Emory & Henry 4
VWC got two runs in the top of the first as Ty Boothe and Lindsay each had RBI singles in the frame. Emory & Henry tied things up in the bottom of the frame when Wise drove in a pair with a one-out single.
The Marlins pushed another two runs across the plate in the third as Erby had a RBI single to score Sutryk and Bach came around on a double steal to go up 4-2. Virginia Wesleyan added another run in the top of the fourth when Kurz hit a sacrifice fly to left field, plating Austin Gammon.
The game settled in for four-straight scoreless innings but VWC added three more runs in the ninth for an 8-2 lead. Bach had a RBI single while the other two runs came home on wild pitches.
Emory & Henry got a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth as junior first baseman Bransen Christopher (Hickory, N.C.) hit a two-run shot to left field, making the final margin 8-4.
VWC's Erby had three hits while Sutryk registered a pair of base knocks and two runs. Will Hickey picked up the win allowing two runs on seven hits in five innings of work with two strikeouts. Dylan Stoskus earned the save, striking out five in the final four innings of the game.
Emory & Henry was led by Wise, who went two-for-five with two RBI while Christopher drove in a pair as well. Seniors Caleb Rotton (Boiling Springs, S.C.) and Brogan Hoover (Stephens City, Va.) each had two hits in the game as well. Sophomore Ty Hill (Knoxville, Tenn.) took the loss, allowing four earned runs on 10 hits across six innings pitched.
E&H will be back in action on Tuesday evening when it travels to Milligan College for a 6:00 p.m., contest with the Buffaloes.
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