The University of Mary Washington baseball team swept Hampden-Sydney in its doubleheader against Hampden-Sydney on Tuesday afternoon as it shutout the Tigers in Game 1 before coming from behind and walking-off Game 2.
Game 1 - Eagles win, 5-0
Behind
Matthew Caldwell's seven-inning complete game shutout, the Eagles took care of business easily as the senior right-hander only yielded a pair of hits, while striking out six batters and tossing just 79 pitches in his first complete game of his career.
The Eagles struck first for a pair of runs in the first inning as a
Collin Clarkson groundout drove in
William Tuttle before
Oliver Martin reached home on a balk. In the third,
Sean Smith recorded a sac fly that drove in Martin with the bases-loaded to push the lead to 3-0. In the fourth, a dropped throw on a double steal attempt of second and home allowed
Ryan Henson to score UMW's fourth run before
Benjamin Rossi's RBI single extended the lead to 5-0 in the fifth.
And with Caldwell's performance on the mound, the Eagles had everything they needed for a victory.
Game 2 - Eagles win, 7-6
Game 2, however, required a flair of the dramatic as the Eagles tied the score in the final inning twice before walking it off in the ninth inning. In a schedule seven-inning game, the Eagles jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a Clarkson RBI single in the first before the Tigers tied it in the bottom half.
UMW then re-gained the lead in the third on Tuttle's RBI single and was cruising until the sixth inning when HSC struck for three runs to take a 4-2 lead. The Eagles cut the deficit to one on
Cole Powers' RBI single in the bottom of the inning, but the Tigers added another run in the seventh, 5-3. In the bottom of the seventh, Smith singled home a run to cut the lead to one before
Eric Powell drove in
Connor Hassan to tie the game at five.
In the ninth, the Tigers took the lead on an RBI groundout, but the Eagles responded with two runs in the ninth to win it. To begin the frame, Martin singled back up the middle to bring the tying-run to the plate. He reached third on an errant pick-off throw to first, then scored on a line-out as he drew a throw from the shortstop that sailed wide left of the third baseman to tie the game. Hassan worked a walk, then stole second before Smith and Powell were hit by pitches to load the bases.
And in dramatic fashion,
George Rizzo lifted a fly ball that landed just between the right fielder and first baseman to walk the Tigers off and seal the victory, 7-6.
Jackson Beale worked a shutout four innings to begin the game before Hassan worked the final three to earn his first victory of the season.
The Eagles are back in action on Friday in Myrtle Beach, S.C. against Nichols College at the Cal Ripken Experience for a doubleheader.
