SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - - A five-run seventh inning, capped by a CJ Deery three-run home run, carried the Wilmington University baseball team to a 9-8 nonconference victory at Shippensburg on Wednesday afternoon at Fairchild Field.
The five-run seventh inning broke a 4-4 tie, but the Wildcats (6-7) need to hang on in the final frames as Shippensburg (13-8) scored four in the bottom of the seventh. Dom Grady retired the side in the bottom of the ninth for his first save of the season.
Eddie Parry started the scoring with a leadoff homer to left in the top of the second. But the Raiders fought back in the bottom of the inning, scoring four runs off a walk, a double, a single, a triple, and a wild pitch.
The Wildcats had an answer in the top of the third, as Adrian Jimenez started the frame with an infield single. Tyler Pirrung collected one of his three hits in the game with an RBI single, and then Eddie Parry beat out an infield single with the bases loaded, and as the ball got away from the first baseman, the second run came home to tie the score, 4-4.
Except for the second inning, Matt Warrington had another solid outing on the mound, striking out nine batters through five innings. He only allowed one walk and gave up four runs on six hits. Tyler Reinert came in for the sixth and allowed a pair of two-out singles, but induced a grounder back to the hill to get out of the inning.
Nic Hertzfeld started the seventh with a double and then Tyler Pirrung collected a bunt single to put runners on the corners. JJ Killen gave the Wildcats the lead with an RBI single and then Jack McDonald followed two batters later with another RBI single. CJ Deery stepped up and launched a three-run homer to left, giving the Wildcats just what they needed with a 9-4 lead.
The Raiders loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh though, first scoring on a hit-by-pitch. A double then cleared the bases and the Raiders were right back into the contest, 9-8. Anthony Giordano gave up a one-out double to left center, but the tying run was left right there as Giordano picked up a strikeout and a grounder to exit the inning.
Dom Grady came on for the ninth and went 1-2-3 with a pair of strikeouts to close out the victory with his first save.
Tyler Pirrung and Eddie Parry led the Wildcats with three hits while CJ Deery's three-run blast led the team with three RBI. Parry went 3-for-4 with two RBI in the win. Tyler Reinert picked up his first collegiate win with the scoreless sixth inning.
The Wildcats stay inside the PSAC but head farther west for their next contest, as they play Slippery Rock in a three-game set this weekend north of Pittsburgh.
