POMONA, N.Y. - - Senior Josh Hampton executed a perfect delayed steal of home plate and junior Jamie Treml added another run with an RBI single in the eighth inning of game two, allowing the No. 20 Wilmington University baseball team to earn the split against Nyack on Friday, played at Provident Bank Park.
As soon as Nyack's (9-9, 3-1 CACC) pitcher toed the rubber in the top of the first, the weather picked up and rained on and off all afternoon long. The mound and plate proved to be a cause of concern for the pitchers and batters' footing for the majority of the games.
The Wildcat (14-4-1, 4-2 CACC) bats were stymied in the first game as they only mustered five base hits and left seven runners on the bags. Nyack used the arm of Cole Tobin to carry them to victory, as he went the distance for the complete game shutout. He struck out seven batters while only walking two batters.
The Warriors got on the board early against Wildcat starter Ray Gambone, scoring twice in the bottom of the first. Nyack started quickly, as leadoff man John Kennedy took the first pitch he saw and doubled to the gap. A sacrifice fly and a bases loaded walk later and the Warriors were on top 2-0.
That was more than Tobin needed as he worked out of a pair of jams, leaving two Wildcats on base in the sixth and eighth innings.
Mike Annone and Josh Swirchak doubled for the Wildcats while Annone and Hampton paced the offense with two hits each.
In the nightcap, Frank Samluk battled through five innings of work on the mound, striking out seven batters. He turned the game over to the bullpen with a 4-2 lead.
The Warriors battled back, however, as they tallied solo runs in the sixth and seventh innings to tie the game. The game tying run came on a squeeze play, and Mike Jerminski's diving effort back to home plate was late on the speedy Kennedy.
But the Wildcats didn't waste any time in gaining the momentum back, using their creativity to score the winning run in the top of the eighth. Hampton led off the inning with a single and did the rest with his legs to find home plate.
Now on second, Hampton and Sam Goines successfully stole a bag to put two runners in scoring position. In the middle of Treml's at-bat, Hampton crept closer and close to home before executing a perfect delayed steal as the catcher tossed the ball back to the mound.
Treml followed suit and singled through the hole on the right side, plating Goines from second as he beat the throw from right field.
In his second inning of work, Tyler Fries shut down the Warrior offense in the bottom of the eighth, with the help of Goines in left field. With two outs, Jack Hudak singles inside the third base bag, but Goines got to it quickly and threw a one-hopper to second to gun down Hudak trying for the double. Jarrett Shaffer worked around a two-out error and induced a fly ball, ending the game and earning the save with a scoreless ninth.
Wilmington collected 11 hits in the second game, getting two each from Swirchak, Annone, and Brody Tennant. Jerminksi and Tennant hit doubles for the Wildcats while Joe Marciano led the team with two runs batted in.
The Wildcats remain on the road for their next doubleheader, as they are set to makeup a twinbill at Concordia on Monday. The first pitch of game one is set for 1 p.m. on campus.
