RUTHER GLEN, Va. – The Mary Baldwin University baseball team completed a three-game series sweep of the VCU club team in National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) play on Sunday.
The Fighting Squirrels earned a 12-0 win in a shortened five-inning contest that was originally scheduled for seven innings, including a seven-run fourth frame.
The first two innings went by without any runs for either side. The top of the third frame saw MBU get on the board after drawing five-straight walks to plate both runs.
In the fourth inning, Dylan Rankin started off with a hard-hit grounder to third base that took an awkward bounce past the third baseman. He moved to second on a wild pitch and found third on a ground out. Rankin came in to score on a one-out RBI single from Jacob Cude, 3-0. Cude came around to score on an RBI single by Noah Kessler two batters later to make the score 4-0. A double steal put two runners in scoring position, but an errant throw attempting to catch a runner stealing allowed Cameron Geanas to score, 5-0.
Colby Cheatham drew a walk to put runners on first and second for another double steal attempt that saw another errant throw to third that allowed Kessler to score, 6-0. Tucker Hensley laced an RBI single to center to score Cheatham from second, 7-0. With two outs, Matthew Delp struck a two-run single to center to reset the score at 9-0 before the inning came to an end.
The Fighting Squirrels scored three more runs on consecutive walks in the top of the fifth before the home side failed to score in the bottom half of the frame.
Kessler went 2 for 3 at the plate with an RBI and two runs scored, while Delp finished with three RBI and a walk. MBU tallied 12 walks in the win.
Teddy Coates got the start on the hill and pitched 4.0 shutout innings scattering five hits with two strikeouts and one walk. Zach King entered for the fifth frame and allowed just one hit before closing out the contest.
The Fighting Squirrels outscored the VCU club team 40-4 in the three-game series and move to 4-1 on the season, including a 3-0 mark in NCBA games.
MBU returns to action on Tuesday, Feb. 25, as it heads south for a doubleheader with the Ferrun developmental team. Games are set to begin at 2 pm.
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