No. 9 Salisbury plunks No. 1 SUNY Cortland with first loss of the season
SALISBURY, Md. - The game between No. 9 Salisbury University and top-ranked SUNY Cortland, two of the top baseball teams in Division III, lived up to the hype on Friday afternoon at a frigid and windy Sea Gull Field. The Sea Gulls (7-0) pushed across a run in the bottom of the eighth inning to take a 4-3 lead and closed the door on the Red Dragons (0-1) in the top of the ninth to secure the upset victory.
Salisbury, who never trailed in the game, loaded the bases in the eighth with one out and the game knotted at three apiece. Newly inserted pitcher J.J. Potrikus plunked SU shortstop Will Evans in his back with a ball to force in the eventual game-winning run. Potrikus struck out the next two batters but the damage was done.
Junior relief pitcher Chad Wolfe (2-0) induced two quick ground outs before he hit Red Dragon catcher Andersen Gardner with a pitch. The next batter, third baseman Steve Nickel, ended the game with a ground out to Evans at short. Wolfe pitched over three scoreless innings, allowed no hits, added two strikeouts and no walks to earn the victory.
With the win Salisbury has won 41 consecutive regular-season games and its seventh straight to begin the 2009 season.
The game pitted two preseason All-American pitchers against one another which brought out a half dozen professional scouts to the game. SU sent out senior right-hander Eric Willey who tossed five and two-thirds innings and surrendered three runs (two earned) on eight hits, walked none and struck out six Red Dragon batters. Cortland rolled out junior left-hander Matt Tone who matched Willey with five and two-thirds innings tossed and allowed three runs on four hits, walked three and struck out eight. Willey and Tone both tossed more than 100 pitches each in the nationally ranked showdown.
SU got to Tone in the first inning as right fielder Cody Collins (one run) led off with a double and second baseman Randy Boyle (two runs) earned a walk before Cortland recorded its first out of the '09 season. Catcher Ryan Smith (three RBIs) drove in two runs with an opposite field single to right field with only one out.
Cortland scored its first run of the '09 campaign in the top of the third as the Sea Gulls committed three fielding errors in the inning. Cortland center fielder Mike Avery (two hits) drove in the run with a single through the left side of the SU infield to cut the Sea Gull lead to one, 2-1.
Salisbury bounced back with its third run in the bottom half of the third as Boyle walked, advanced a base on the single by first baseman Mike Celenza, stole third base before Smith drove him home on a fielder's choice.
The Red Dragons scored runs in the fourth and sixth inning to tie the game at three apiece. In the sixth inning, Wolfe came out of the bullpen after starting the game as the designated hitter. He forced a fly ball to get out of the inning and then set down Cortland in order in the seventh and eighth innings.
Cortland reliever Travis Ratliff (0-1) earned the loss as he loaded the bases in the eighth before Potrikus took over. Ratliff tossed an inning and two-thirds and allowed one run, on one hits, walked one and struck out two.
Salisbury wraps up its four-game homestand in three days tomorrow (Saturday, February 21) with a doubleheader against College of Staten Island which begins at Noon.
