SALISBURY, Md. – The Widener baseball team scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning to upset No. 1 Salisbury, 4-1, for its first win of the season on Saturday afternoon at Sea Gull Baseball Stadium.
The Pride also played the No. 2 in the country in SUNY-Cortland, but lost to the Red Dragons, 17-10, before their contest against Salisbury.
With the win over Salisbury, the Pride are now 1-4 on the year.
HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST SALISBURY
- Trailing, 1-0, through eight innings, the Pride managed to take a 3-1 lead after first-year pinch hitter Jason Morgan hit an RBI triple to tie the game and junior Anthony Boccio smacked a two-run single three batters later to give them the lead. Junior Aaron Nuble knocked in the insurance run two batters later after he hit a single up the middle to bring home Boccio.
- In the bottom of the ninth, the Sea Gulls managed to get two runners aboard with one out, but junior reliever Toby Hallman closed the game out by getting the next two batters to ground out to put an exclamation point on the historic win for the Pride.
- Boccio, Nuble, Kyle Brex, and Tommy McParland each had two hits for the Pride in the victory.
- First-year starting pitcher Aidan O'Brien pitched a gem for Widener, going six innings and yielding only five hits to the Salisbury lineup while fanning three on 95 pitches.
- Joey Norton earned the win on the mound after pitching 2 1/3 innings of relief, allowing only one hit and one walk.
HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST SUNY-CORTLAND
- The Pride got into a slugfest with the Red Dragons and held an 8-6 lead through three innings.
- In the first inning, the Pride tied the game at 2 after Bryce Fremgen hit an RBI double and Boccio scored on a balk.
- Then, the Pride scored five of their runs in the bottom of the second to take a 7-5 lead. During the inning, they received a two-run double from Brex, an RBI single from Fremgen, and a two-run single from Nick Barenz.
- After SUNY-Cortland scored a run in the top of the third, the Pride added a run in the bottom half after Brex scored on a Nuble fielder's choice with the bases loaded.
- However, the Red Dragons scored three runs in the fourth, three more in the fifth, one in the seventh and four in the ninth to earn the victory. The Pride got their final two runs on a Boccio run scored in the fifth inning on a fielder's choice and Brex hitting a solo home run in the ninth.
- Brex led the Pride at the plate, going 5-for-6 with his homer, three RBI and four runs scored. Boccio and Fremgen added three hits apiece for Widener in the defeat.
UP NEXT
The Pride will travel to Washington, D.C. on Sunday to face Marymount at the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy. First pitch is set for 11 a.m.
