Press Release Written by Sports Information Graduate Intern MaryKate Rumbaugh

WATERBURY, Conn. – Two runs in the bottom of the sixth gave South Division No. 2 seeded Wilmington University baseball a 2-1 lead over South Division No. 4 Jefferson, which would be enough to take game one of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament at Municipal Stadium in Waterbury,  Connecticut.

With the win, the Wildcats will play North Division No. 2 seeded Dominican tomorrow afternoon at 12:00 p.m.

The Wildcats (36-12) and Rams were quiet in the firsts three innings of the ballgame as neither team would get a hit until the fourth. It was a pitcher's dual for the most part throughout those innings, until Jefferson started the top of the fifth with a leadoff single. With only one out and a runner on first and third, the Rams were able to hit a sacrifice fly to score the first run of the game and take a 1-0 heading into the bottom half of the fifth.

Wilmington would go down in order in the inning, but a quick inning in the top of the sixth, including a double play, would send the Wildcats back to bat in the bottom of the sixth.

Dan Hyatt would get the inning started for WilmU on a dropped fly from the left fielder to reach first to lead off the inning. Kendall Small would lay down a sacrifice bunt to advance Hyatt to second. CACC Player of the Year Eddie Nevins would be the next batter for the Wildcats and draw a one out walk, as Dan Hyatt would advance to third on a wild pitch.

Luke Johnson would do his job and bring home Hyatt on a sacrifice fly out to right to tie the game up at 1-1 and advance Nevins to second. Max Carney then hit an RBI-single to right to score Nevins and give WilmU the 2-1 lead to end the inning trying to stretch a double on the play.

Kyle Maxwell would relieve Scull in the top of the seventh and get out of a jam, leaving runners on first and second. Zach Frederick and Dan Hyatt would pitch the final two innings, as Frederick got the Rams to groundout into a double play in the top of the eighth, before Hyatt was able to get a strikeout and fly out to end the ballgame, stranding a runner on second to get the save.

Brad Scull went 6.0 IP, allowing three hits, one earned run, and three walks, while striking out four batters. Maxwell, Frederick, and Hyatt would all strikeout one batter in each inning they pitched.

Eddie Nevins went 1-for-2 for the Wildcats with two walks, as Dan Hyatt, Luke Johnson, Max Carney, and Brett Nowell each went 1-for-3 in the ballgame. Johnson and Carney both had one RBI.