FLUSHING, N.Y. - - A three-run home run by junior Josh Swirchak broke the game wide open as the Wilmington University baseball team went on to defeat Queens (N.Y.), 7-2, at Knights Field on Wednesday afternoon.
The Wildcats (25-5-1 overall), ranked 20th in the latest NCBWA National Poll, break a scoreless tie in the fifth, scoring four runs to take the game over. Rob Gore controlled Queens' (7-15 overall) bats with seven scoreless innings to improve to 4-0 on the year.
Freshman Jesse Long singled in the games' first run in the fifth inning, bringing in Mike Annone who led off the inning with a bunt single. Now with runners on first and second, Swirchak launched his first home run of the season, clearing the bases and giving the Wildcats a 4-0 lead.
Gore kept the Queens' bats silenced in the bottom of the fifth, completing a 1-2-3 inning to bring the hot Wildcat bats back up to the plate.
Now against a reliever, Matt Lopes started the inning with a single through the left side. Now on second, Lopes came home to score the Wildcats' first run of the inning on a fielding error. Jamie Treml kept the inning going with an RBI double down the right field line, scoring Sam Goines from second base for the 6-0 lead.
Gore allowed a single in the seventh, but Lopes erased the runner as he attempted to steal second for the second out of the inning. Gore struck out the final batter of the inning, ending his night with seven scoreless innings.
The junior left-handed pitcher struck out six batters while not allowing a walk and only giving up four hits. Ne only needed 71 pitches to get through the seven innings of work for the win.
Tyler Hawthorne tacked on the final run for the Wildcats in the top of the ninth, hitting an RBI double down the left field line to score Swirchak from second.
Jake Wersinger came on in relief and struck out two batters in the bottom of the eighth before Ryan Douglas came back from injury to pitch the bottom of the ninth and close out the contest.
Swirchak batted 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored, finishing as the only Wildcats with multiple hits in the game. Josh Hampton went 1-for-4 on the day, hitting his Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference leading 16th double of the season.
The Wildcats return to action on Thursday, as they head to University of the Sciences in a CACC contest at Richie Ashburn Field. Thursday is the first round of the Bill Giles Invitational with the winner to play West Chester in the championship at Citizens Bank Park on April 22. Thursday's game is scheduled for 3 p.m.