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NEW CASTLE, Del. - - The strong starting pitching of Ryan Sandberg and Kyle Maxwell put the Wilmington University baseball team back in the win column on Friday, as they swept a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference doubleheader from Bloomfield, 7-1 and 4-2, at Wilson Field.
Ryan Sandberg went six innings with six strikeouts in game one while Kyle Maxwell pitched 4.2 innings with seven strikeouts in the nightcap to earn the sweep.
GAME 1:
Seven runs in the first three innings were more than enough for Ryan Sandberg and the bullpen in the opener. The Wildcats (13-6, 13-6 CACC) scored once in the first, five in the second, and once in the third to amass for all their runs.
Sandberg struck out three in the top of the first and Nic Hertzfeld started the offense with a leadoff single in the bottom half. Now with runners on second and third and one out, Shawn Haut beat out an infield single up the middle that was stopped by the second baseman, scoring Hertzfeld. But that's all the Wildcats would get at the Bears (8-15, 8-14 CACC) picked up a double play to end the inning.
Sandberg got his own double play in the top of the second and then the offense went back to work. CJ Deery reached on a one out error and the Wildcats had runners on second and third with two outs. Nic Hertzfeld plated a pair with an RBI single, then stole second to get himself in scoring position. Brock Nowell hit an RBI single through the left side and Quintin Ivy put two back in scoring position with a double to left center. Shaun Haut capped the five-run inning with a double down the left field line, giving the Wildcats the 6-0 lead.
A two-out single followed by a double gave the Bears their only run of the game I the top of the third, but the Wildcats got it right back. Ryan Speed started the bottom of the inning with a leadoff double before Matt Warrington moved him up to third with a sacrifice bunt. On a drawn in infield, CJ Deery hit a hot shot to short that was backhanded on a knee, allowing Speed to score.
Sandberg set the Bears down in order in the top of the sixth, his final frame of the game. Nick Robino struck out a pair but walked the bases loaded before Justin Brooks came on to finish of the game, inducing a fly ball to left.
Ryan Sandberg is now 3-1 on the year with the win. Shaw Haut went 2-for-3 with three RBI while Nic Hertzfeld batted 2-for-4 with two RBI, two runs scored, and two stolen bases.
GAME 2:
The Wildcats again scored a single run in the bottom of the first inning, but it was a 3-run fourth inning that proved to be the difference maker in the nightcap.
Quintin Ivy started the bottom of the fourth by launching his seventh homer of the season to right center, giving the Wildcats a 2-0 lead. Ryan Speed and Matt Warrington restarted the inning by each hitting a one-out single. CJ Deery followed with the third straight single through the hole on the left side, plating Speed for the 3-0 lead. Brett Brooks walked to load the bases, but the Wildcats could only score one more in the inning on a wild pitch, as Nic Hertzfeld grounded sharply into a double play to end the frame.
An error and a single started the top of the fifth but Kyle Maxwell worked hard to limit the damage, as Brett Brooks threw out a would-be base stealer at third and Maxwell picked up a strikeout for the second out. But a walk and a wild pitch moved runners into scoring position and a single through the left side put Bloomfield on the board with two runs, ending Maxwell's day. Xander Emberger came on and induced a fly ball to end the inning.
AJ Stento record the first out of the sixth and then Justin Barcoski induced a grounder to first and a fly ball to escape the sixth. Rich Albrecht came on in the seventh, struck out the first two batters, and then got a weak grounder to second to end the game and pick up the save.
Matt Warrington was the only Wildcat with multiple hits in game two, going 2-for-2 with a walk. Maxwell improved to 3-0 on the year while the five Wildcat pitchers struck out 10 Bears.
UP NEXT:
The Wildcats will look to avenge a loss to Goldey-Beacom last week when they head to the Lightning on Sunday for a doubleheader. The first pitch is set for 12:00 p.m. at Doyle Field in Hockessin.
