Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 by Benny Benton
WILSON, N.C. – Barton College rallied for three runs in its last at-bat, capped by freshman Andrew Webster's walk-off RBI single, to knock off No. 20 Seton Hill, 5-4, in the back half of a non-conference doubleheader Saturday at Nixon Field
The nationally-ranked Griffins pounded out seven extra-base hits, including a pair of solo home runs by 2013 consensus All-American Nick Sell, in claiming an easy 11-3 victory in the opener.
The split left Barton with a record of 4-5. The games were the first of the season for Seton Hill.
Trailing 4-2 in the seventh and final inning of game two, the Bulldogs collected four hits in their last at-bat, all by freshmen. Catcher Jacob Willis opened the inning with a single to left and was replaced by pinch-runner JT Bunce, who advanced to second on an Avery Harper groundout. Calvin Hawke reached first on an infield single to short, and both runners moved up a base on a passed ball.
Blake Spangenberg, making his first start of the season, also singled to short, driving in Bunce and advancing Hawke to third. Hawke scored on a passed ball by catcher Chris Miller, tying the game at 4-all. Spangenberg, who had moved to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on the passed ball.
With just one out and the winning run at third base, Seton Hill chose to intentionally walk both Tyler Garrett and Dillon Rudio to load the bases and set up a force out at every base. However, Webster pulled the first pitch from Jordan Fuller (0-1) through the left side of the infield, just to the right of diving shortstop Brendan Costantino, to plate Spangenberg with the game-winning run.
The rally made a winner of Barton relief pitcher Mike Brienza (1-2), who provided two perfect innings of work, striking out three Griffins in the process.
Brienza, a junior transfer who collected his first victory for the Bulldogs, took the place of starter Duncan Everett, who scattered seven hits, walked one and struck out one over five innings of work. The Griffins scored four runs on the junior right-hander, but none of them were earned.
All four of Seton Hill's runs came in the third inning. With one out and Dan Abbennate on second base following a double, Garret Vrbanic hit a grounder to second. Abbennate moved to third on the slow-roller, and while the throw was being made to first for the out, also tried to score. Barton's first baseman Nathan Boykin's throw was in time but over the head of the catcher, allowing the Griffins to tie the game at 1-all. With the inning extended by the error, Seton Hill erupted for three more runs on RBI hits by Taylor Schmidt, Sell and Josh Forbes to stake out a 4-1 advantage.
The Bulldogs had scored an unearned run of their own in the bottom of the second when Willis reached base on an error and eventually scored on a two-out single to right by Hawke. Barton added another run in the bottom of the third, again unearned, after Rudio doubled with one-out and scored on an error.
However, Seton Hill starter Brad Schnelle retired five of the next six batters before handing the ball over to Fuller, who worked a perfect sixth before Barton rallied in the seventh for the win. Schnelle allowed just four hits and the two unearned runs in his five innings, walking one and striking out three.
Although the Griffins let game two slip away, they had no such problem in the nine-inning opener. Seton Hill scored four runs in the first inning and two more in both the third and fourth frames to jump on top 8-1.
The runs in the first came on a two-out walk to Sell, followed by consecutive doubles from Forbes, Cody Herald, Miller and Matt Malacane off Barton starter Kyle Rufer (1-1).
Barton never did get Sell out in game one, as the All-American went 4-for-4. His single to lead off the third inning, combined with a pair of Bulldog errors, helped the Griffins score two to improve their lead to 6-1. Another single in the fourth drove in the second of two runs in the frame as Seton Hill extended the advantage to 8-1.
Sell opened up the seventh inning with a blast over the fence in left-center, and started the ninth frame the same way, ripping the first pitch over the fence in left. Sell hit 13 home runs last season.
As a team, the Griffins had 13 hits off three Barton pitchers, and the Bulldogs helped out SHU with four errors.
Seton Hill provided more than enough run support for ace pitcher Alex Haines (1-0), who went eight innings, scattering five hits and giving up two runs. He did not walk a batter and struck out three.
Rudio had three of the five hits for the Bulldogs, including a double. Harper, Bunce and Garrett drove in the three runs.
The two teams will complete the series with a single game Sunday beginning at noon.
