Quakers even mark at 5-5 in 14-inning thriller

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FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Wilmington College baseball team swept a doubleheader with St. Michael’s College (Vermont) Tuesday, winning game one 4-0 and the 14-inning game two 4-3 in walk-off fashion.

In game two, Wilmington got on the board in the first inning on a double from Nick Silvis and an RBI single from Gage Bley. St. Michael’s went up 3-1 in the fifth.

Trailing 3-2, the Quakers got a run back in the seventh on an RBI single from Bley. Wilmington failed to score in the eighth but rallied to tie it 3-3 in the ninth. Daniel Hayes drew a walk and advanced to third on a single from Bley. Josh Chua hit a sacrifice fly to center field scoring Hayes.

Neither team scored until the 14th inning. Hayes reached on a bunt single to start the WC 14th. He went to second on a wild pitch and strolled home on Chua’s game-winning single.

“Daniel [Hayes] laid down an almost-perfect bunt,” said Cleaver. “Once you get that first runner on in that extra innings and you’re the home team, you really have a shot at winning.”

Alec Robinette picked up his second victory in relief this week as he pitched four innings with four strikeouts and one hit batter. Lance Fleischman bridged the gap between starter Joey Hollback and Robinette, allowing two hits and no earned runs in 5.1 innings of work.

“[Lance] Fleischman and [Alec] Robinette were out of this world today,” Cleaver said. “They held it all together and kept it close when we were down.”

Wilmington tallied a dozen hits in game two including a 4-for-7 performance with two RBIs from Bley. Silivis, Chua and Daniel Hayes also had two hits.

In game one, Jared Ferenchak earned his first win of the season, pitching a complete-game shutout in seven innings. The junior scattered six hits and tallied four strikeouts compared to no walks.

“The most fun I have calling pitches is when Jared [Ferenchak] is on the mound,” Cleaver said. “I think he missed three pitches the entire game. When he’s on the mound, we have a great chance to win.”

Wilmington tallied eight hits as a team in game one including a 3-for-4 performance from Silvis at the top of the order. Kyle Short finished 2-for-4 with an RBI while Chua had an RBI, a run scored and two walks despite not recording a hit. David Poynter, a Clinton-Massie product, had two sacrifice bunts, both of which led to Quaker runs.

The Quakers, who are 5-5 this season, face the United States Coast Guard Academy in a single game today to conclude the 2018 spring trip to Florida.

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