CHESTER, Pa. – Widener Baseball split their senior day double header against the Stevenson mustangs after a walk off win in game two.
The Pride are now 15-14 on the season and 9-6 in conference play.
BY THE NUMBERS GAME 1
- Kevin Bukowski led the Widener offense by recording a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 at the plate including a double in the seventh inning.
- Sean Burke was highly effective at getting on base, going 1-for-2 with two walks, a stolen base, and crossing the plate for a run in the fourth inning.
- Chris McKenna contributed to the run production by going 1-for-4, delivering a clutch RBI single in the fifth inning.
- Hayden O'Neill ate up valuable innings, pitching 4.1 frames and striking out two batters while surrendering three earned runs.
BY THE NUMBERS GAME 2
- Sean Burke powered the Pride's offense by going 2-for-5 at the plate, tallying a team-high three RBIs with a double and a triple.
- Ryan Bauerle had a stellar day at the top of the lineup, going 3-5 with a double, one RBI, and a stolen base
- Braedyn Clinton was a clutch presence, going 2-for-5 on the day and delivering the game-winning, walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth.
- Ethan Lytle earned the win with an incredibly dominant performance out of the bullpen, shutting out Stevenson over the final four innings while allowing just one hit and striking out three batters.
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME ONE
- The game got off to a rocky start for Widener in the top of the first inning, as Stevenson quickly jumped out to a 5-0 lead, highlighted by a two-run double and three additional RBI hits. Hayden O'Neill took the mound in the second inning and stabilized the game with a scoreless frame, allowing the Widener offense to find its footing. Widener broke through in the bottom of the third inning. After Ryan Bauerle and Brandon Yoder were hit by pitches, Bauerle stole third and successfully scored a run on a Stevenson pick off attempt that caught Yoder at first. The Mustangs added a run on a sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth, but the Pride answered right back in the bottom half. Sean Burke drew a walk, moved over to third on back-to-back singles by Ryan Madden and Braedyn Clinton, and then scored a run when Ryan Bauerle reached on an RBI fielder's choice to make it 6-2. Widener kept chipping away in the bottom of the fifth. Brendan Raven drew a one-out walk, moved to second on a Sean Burke single, and scored a run when Chris McKenna drilled an RBI single through the right side, narrowing the Stevenson lead to 6-3.
- Stevenson extended their lead in the top of the sixth. After back-to-back hits put runners in scoring position, the Mustangs scored a run on a wild pitch. Moments later, they brought another run on a sacrifice fly, pushing the deficit to 8-3. In the top of the seventh, Stevenson once again built on their lead, tacking on three final runs. They capitalized on a Widener fielding error on a sacrifice bunt to score a run, followed by an RBI single and a sacrifice fly that resulted in two more runs to make it 11-3. Widener threatened a late rally in the bottom of the seventh when Kevin Bukowski hit a lead off double, Brendan Raven walked, and Sam Benedetti singled to load the bases with nobody out. However, the Pride were unable to get any across and would suffer their second straight loss by a final score of 11-3.
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME TWO
- After a disappointing result in game one, the Pride came out on fire in game two. Brandon Yoder got things started with a walk and would go on to steal second. Kevin Bukowski drove him in with an RBI single to right center field. Brendan Raven then drew a walk before Sean Burke drove in two with RBI double to right center to make it 3-0. The Mustangs got their offense going in top of the fourth, scoring two runs with an RBI single through the left side. Stevenson took a 5-4 lead in the top of the fifth, scoring three runs on a sacrifice bunt and two RBI singles. The Pride answered back in the bottom of the fifth. After Brandon Yoder was hit by a pitch and advanced to third, Sean Burke tripled off the right field wall to bring the Pride within one.
- The Pride evened things up in the bottom of the sixth. Ryan Madden led things off with a single to left center and Braedyn Clinton followed that up with a single through the left side to put runners on first and third with no outs. Ryan Bauerle came up clutch with an RBI single to right center to make it a 5-5 game. After a quiet seventh and eighth innings from both sides, the Pride came up to bat in the bottom of the ninth looking to put the game away. After two quick outs, Tyler Harper drew a walk and Ryan Madden singled to put two runners on. Braedyn Clinton then stepped up to the plate and delivered a single to right field to give the pride a 6-5 walk off win.
UP NEXT
The Pride will stay at home to face the Wilkes Colonels on Monday, April 13
th. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m.