DURHAM, N.C. - - The Wilmington University baseball team ended its trip to North Carolina with a 4-2 victory over Mansfield on Sunday, scoring runs in four consecutive innings to improve to 6-2 on the season.
Four Wilmington relievers pitched six scoreless innings, only allowing three hits while striking out six batters. Steve Schenning went three scoreless innings to pick up his first win as a Wildcats and then Xavier Cortez and Garrett Quinn picked up holds with scoreless innings. Dom Grady earned his second save of the season with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
Starter Scott Borgmann worked out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the first inning, getting a comebacker to the mound to escape any damage. A two-out error in the second inning gave the Mountaineers their first run of the day, but Jack McDonald answered back quickly, launching a homer to right to lead off the bottom of the second.
Mansfield regained the lead in the top of the third with their own solo homer, but the Wildcats were able to answer in the home half. Nick Classie started the inning with a double and the Wildcats have runners on the corners with one out. Erik Grady beat out a bunt single, allowing Classie to score to tie the game once more, 2-2.
The Wildcats used a two-out rally to take the lead in the fourth, starting with a two-out walk to Matt Warrington. An error kept the inning alive and put runners on the corners and then the Wildcats executed a double steal, as Warrington put the Wildcats in front, 3-2.
Schenning worked around a lead-off double in the fifth and then the Wildcats tacked on an insurance run. Tyler Pirrung walked and worked his way to third with one out. Jack McDonald hit an RBI groundout, giving the Wildcats a 4-2 lead.
Xavier Cortez allowed a two-out walk before closing out the seventh and Garrett Quinn battled through two singles and a walk, getting a short fly ball to left and a grounder to second to escape the jam in the eighth. Dom Grady then went 1-2-3 to close out the game.
Six Wildcats had hits in the game with McDonald leading with two RBI.
The Wildcats return North to Delaware for a brief period before heading to Florida to play five games starting on Wednesday. The trip starts with a visit to Barry on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.