Bats come alive as Salisbury wins twice at NCAA regional

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – After losing its first game in the NCAA South Regional hosted by Methodist University, the Salisbury baseball team found itself in a must-win situation. The Sea Gulls did just that, winning twice on Friday to remain alive in the double-elimination event. Salisbury collected a 12-1 win against LaGrange College and an 11-6 win over the University of Mary Washington to advance to the final day of competition on Saturday.

The Sea Gulls topped LaGrange in their first game Friday afternoon, breaking out the big sticks in a 12-1 victory. A three-run home run by senior Mike Celenza (Gaithersburg, Md.) in the first inning set the tone, and it turned out to be all the Gulls would need.

Junior Kyle Judson (Gaithersburg, Md.) twirled a gem, scattering five hits and giving up just the one Panther run, which came in the ninth inning after the Sea Gulls had control. Judson went the distance, striking out five batters to collect his sixth win of the year against just one loss.

The 3-0 lead did not change until the fourth inning when Salisbury began pulling away with a pair of runs in each the fourth and fifth innings to push the lead to 7-0. Junior Brad Baylis (Pocomoke, Md.) accounted for the runs in the fourth with a two-run home run while junior Brian Green (Salisbury, Md.) and senior Chad Wolfe (Thurmont, Md.) each drove in a run in the fifth.

The final five runs came in the top of the ninth with the big blow being a three-run triple by junior Will Evans (Salisbury, Md.).

The offense remained alive for the second game, bringing 11 runs across the plate. Senior Tim Kellinger (Knoxville, Md.) liked Celenza's first-inning three-run home run in the first game and did him one better with a two-out grand slam in the opening frame of the Sea Gulls' game against Mary Washington.

It was the first of two home runs in the game for Salisbury as Evans went deep in the fourth inning for a solo home run. The Sea Gulls tacked on four runs in the fifth to take command of the game, with Evans driving home two more runs in the inning. Evans and Kellinger each finished with four runs driven in during the win.

That victory went to junior Nathan Young (Washington Township, N.J.), who worked seven strong innings allowing just three runs while striking out one batter.

Mary Washington scored all of its runs in the final two innings, plating three runs in the eighth and three more in the ninth.

With Friday's wins, Salisbury now gets a chance at the regional's top-seeded team. The Sea Gulls will take on Shenandoah University, which has not lost in the double-elimination tournament, on Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. The Sea Gulls would need two wins on Saturday against the Hornets to claim the regional title and advance to the College World Series in Appleton, Wisc., next week.