WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Widener University baseball team rallied in the final two frames to force extras, but was downed by the DeSales Bulldogs 6-5 in 11 innings on Thursday afternoon from Chain of Lakes Stadium.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Nick D'Alessandro led the Pride with three hits while Greg Elfreth, Glenn Seymour, and Brennan Taylor each had two.
• Elfreth also drove in two runs for Widener.
• The bullpen did not allow an earned run during the final 5.2 innings, striking out five.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• DeSales jumped on the board first with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning.
• Widener responded in the fifth as with one out and Brennan Taylor on second and Ricky Collings on first on a fielder's choice, Nick D'Alessandro reached on an infield single to load the bases. Greg Elfreth followed with a single to left to score Taylor and Collings, knotting the score at 2-2.
• The Bulldogs wasted no time in getting the runs back, plating three in the bottom of the inning to take a 5-2 lead.
• Still trailing by three in the eight, the Pride began to battle back. Singles by Glenn Seymour, Nathan Valenta, and Taylor loaded the bases with one out for Collings who reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Seymour to make it 5-3.
• In the ninth, Mike Garofalo reached on an error with one out. Stephen DeBellis followed with a single to put to on for Matthew Guarino who doubled, scoring Garofalo and moving DeBellis to third. The DeSales hurler uncorked a wild pitch, allowing DeBellis to score and tie the game at 5-5.
• In the 11th, a walk and a passed ball allowed the leadoff batter to reach second base before a throwing error on a ball hit by the next batter scored the winning run.

 
UP NEXT
The Pride wraps its trip to Florida taking on John Carroll on Friday, March 9 at 9:00 a.m. at the Chain of Lakes Complex in Winter Haven.