UNCW Captures Fifth CAA Baseball Title With 7-4 Triumph Over Northeastern
Rob Washburn
Box Score
CAA Championship Central
Highlights
HARRISONBURG, Va. (May 26, 2018) – Fourth-seeded UNCW captured its fifth CAA Baseball Championship since 2004, defeating top-seeded Northeastern, 7-4, on Saturday night at Veterans Memorial Park.
The Seahawks improved to 37-21 overall and earned the CAA’s automatic bid to the NCAA Baseball Championship. The Huskies, who dropped to 36-19, will await a possible at-large berth to the NCAA field when the 64 teams are announced on Monday afternoon.
UNCW was led offensively by freshman shortstop Greg Jones, who went 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBI’s. David Sheaffer and tournament Most Outstanding Performer Cole Weiss each drove in a pair of runs.
For Northeastern, Ryan Solomon was 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBI’s. Max Burt and Mason Koppens also contributed two hits.
Reliever Clark Cota (4-0) earned the win after giving up two runs on three hits in 4.1 innings of work. Senior Austin Warren blanked the Huskies over the final three frames and struck out five to record his second save.
Jones got UNCW off to a fast start, leading off the game with his fourth homer of the year. In the second, the Seahawks used the long ball again to add to their advantage. Following a walk to Weiss, Sheaffer launched a two-run homer to left that made it 3-0.
Northeastern battled back in the bottom of the second. Burt doubled and scored on a one-out single to right by Solomon. With two down, Koppens legged out an infield single that brought in Cam Walsh and trimmed the deficit to 3-2. The Huskies tied the game in the third on Scott Holzwasser’s solo homer to left-center.
The Seahawks moved back on top in the sixth. Ryan Jeffers drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third when Kep Brown doubled off the fence in right. Weiss followed with a two-run single up the middle that put UNCW ahead 5-3. The Huskies pulled back within one in the bottom of the sixth when Solomon delivered his eighth home run of the season.
UNCW increased its lead to 6-4 in the seventh when Levi Gesell walked, was sacrificed to second and came home on Jones’ RBI single to center. The combination produced an insurance run in the ninth as Jones drove in Gesell once again.
CAA All-Tournament Team
Kyle Baker, Delaware
Kyle Brnovich, Elon
Ian Fair, Northeastern
Jake Farrell, Northeastern
Scott Holzwasser, Northeastern
Ryan Jeffers, UNCW
Greg Jones, UNCW
Kyle Murphy, Northeastern
Alex Royalty, UNCW
Billy Sullivan IV, Delaware
Austin Warren, UNCW
Cole Weiss, UNCW
Most Outstanding Performer: Cole Weiss, UNCW