HAMPTON, Va. — The No. 12 ESU baseball team opened its season with a ranked win over No. 19 Felician, using an eight-run fourth inning to fuel the victory.
PITCHING NOTABLES
- Ryan Dewees got the first start of the year, throwing a strong 4.0 IP for the Warriors. The senior only allowed two runs on five hits, striking out five in 72 pitches
- Evan Hughes picked up the win for ESU in his first appearance for the Warriors. The York transfer threw for 3.0 IP and struck out four batters.
- Johansel Brito came into the game in the top of the ninth to shut the door, recording the final three outs. After allowing a hit to the first batter he faced, Brito got the next one to ground into a double play before a flyout ended the game.
- The Warriors didn't give many free passes to the Golden Falcons, as Felician only drew three walks over the nine-inning game.
BATTING NOTABLES
- Parker Frey went a perfect 5-5 at the plate, coming a home run shy of completing the cycle. Frey scored twice and drove in two runs with his three singles, a double, and a triple.
- Connor Reilly reached base three times today, finishing 2-3. Reilly hit a single and a triple while also drawing a walk, scoring all three times, and recording an RBI as well.
- Shanley Wall finished with a team-high three RBIs, going 1-3. Wall did his damage at the plate through a double and a sacrifice fly.
- Cole Serfass made an immediate impact as the designated hitter, bringing in two runs and getting on base twice. The Mansfield transfer hit a double and also drew a walk.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After Felician struck first to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the third, the Warriors loaded the bases their next time up to bat. Wall's sacrifice fly to center field scored Braydon Hubbard, as ESU tied the game at 1-1.
- The Golden Falcons retook the lead in the top of the fourth, but the Warriors offense exploded to score the next 10 runs. In the bottom of the fourth, ESU went 8-11 with five singles, three doubles, a HBP, and stole two bases in the eight-run inning. Reilly then scored twice, once in the fifth and once in the seventh. Zander Condeelis brought him home off a sacrifice fly after a leadoff triple, then Reilly walked, stole second, advanced to third, and scored on another sacrifice fly from Easton Albert.
- Felician made a late push to make it a game, scoring five runs in the eighth, but ESU worked some extra breathing room in the bottom of the inning. With Frey from a triple and Walker Zampella in scoring position after a walk and stolen base, ESU got a run back off of a balk. Jackson Rutecki pinch hit for Reilly, hitting a grounder to the shortstop to get Zampella home, making the final score 13-7.
UP NEXT
The Warriors have a doubleheader tomorrow before coming home, as they'll take on Molloy twice starting at 11 a.m.
