UNCW WALKS OFF WITH 11-10 VICTORY OVER JMU
Rob Washburn
Boxscore | Highlights
WILMINGTON, N.C. (May 21, 2014) – Freshman Teddy Cillis’ two-out RBI single to right in the 10th inning plated Ryan LaGrange with the winning run as third-seeded UNCW posted an 11-10 walk-off victory over #6 James Madison in Game 2 of the 2014 CAA Baseball Championship at Brooks Field.
With the victory, the Seahawks (29-25) advance to face #2 College of Charleston at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. The Dukes (17-35) head right back on the field to meet #5 Northeastern at 7:40 p.m. tonight in an elimination game.
After the first two UNCW batters struck out to start the bottom of the 10th, LaGrange kept the Seahawks alive with a single to left. He was able to move up to second on a wild pitch and then scored when Cillis laced a pitch into the gap in right-center. The sequence capped an exciting back-and-forth contest that featured 21 runs and 30 hits.
Catcher Drew Farber went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI’s to lead UNCW offensively. Freshman Casey Golden was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two driven in and Cillis finished 3-for-6 with a pair of runs scored.
JMU senior third baseman Ty McFarland was 4-for-6 with three RBI’s, including run-scoring singles in the eighth and ninth. Outfielder Kevin Husum was 3-for-6 and scored once, while designated hitter Brett Johnson drove in three.
Senior William Prince (2-0), the Seahawks’ fifth pitcher of the game, didn’t allow a hit over the final 1.1 innings and picked up the win.
Trailing 4-1 after five innings, JMU changed the momentum by scoring seven runs with two outs in the sixth. The Dukes loaded the bases off CAA Pitcher of the Year Mat Batts on a Husum single and a pair of walks, and Johnson promptly cleared them with a three-run double down the left-field line. A Nick Merullo single brought Johnson home to give the Dukes their first lead, 5-4. Singles from Josh Wyatt and McFarland plated another run and a Matt Tenaglia single brought in two more to increase the advantage to 8-4.
UNCW battled back to tie the contest at 8-8 with a pair of runs in each of the next two innings. In the sixth, Cillis and Farber hit back-to-back singles and both came home on a single to left by Golden. In the seventh, Farber had an RBI single and Cillis singled and scored on an Andy Austin fielder’s choice.
The Dukes regained the lead in the eighth. Wyatt opened the frame with a single, stole second and scored on a McFarland single to right. JMU upped its tally to 10-8 in the top of the ninth as Weston singled, was sacrificed to second and scored on a two-out single by McFarland.
The Seahawks forced extra innings with a two-run ninth. Singles by LaGrange and Farber put the tying runs aboard with one out, and Austin followed with an RBI single to right that left runners on the corners. Steven Linkous’ fielder’s choice brought in Farber to tie the game at 10-10.
UNCW took advantage of a JMU error to jump out to a 1-0 lead in the first. Golden beat out an infield single and moved to second on Terence Connelly’s sacrifice bunt. After advancing to third on a wild pitch, he scored a fielding miscue by Dukes’ shortstop Kyle Weston.
The Seahawks tacked on two more in the second. Farber’s RBI double to right-center plated LaGrange, and Austin singled up the middle to score Farber.
Both teams tacked on a run in the fifth. JMU’s Weston hit a leadoff single, advanced on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Merullo’s double down the left-field line. In the bottom of the frame, Golden had a two-out single, stole second and scored on an error to make it 4-1.