Marlins score six in final two to defeat Wisconsin-Platteville

VIRGINIA BEACH -- For the second straight game the Virginia Wesleyan College baseball Marlins saw their opponent rally to tie the game in the late innings.

For the second straight game, the Marlins took it all in stride.  After the Pioneers of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville tied Thursday's non-conference game at Marlins Field with a two-run seventh, the host Marlins answered in the bottom of the same inning with a three-run surge that helped produce an 8-2 victory.

On Wednesday, the Marlins saw Old Dominion Athletic Conference leader Randolph-Macon College tie the game in Ashland with a four-run eighth inning.  But, VWC came back strong, tallying twice in the top of the 11th inning to post a 9-7 win.

Twenty-four hours later against UWP (1-5), it was happening again when the Pioneeer used singles from Aaron Hopson (Rockford, Ill./Boyland Catholic) and Brad Milka (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) to score a pair of runs to create a 2-all tie in the top of the seventh.

Virginia Wesleyan (9-13) answered quickly however, leading off the bottom of the inning with a single from Josh Miller (Norfolk, Va./Chesapeake Greenbrier Christian).  He stole second base and moved to third on a single from Brett Sutryk (Bath, N.Y./Bath-Haverling).  Junior Gage Collins (Newport News, Va./Menchville) singled in a run and sophomore Pike Brynildsen (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams) belted out a two-run single to give VWC a 5-2 lead.

Senior Ryan Brinkley (Virginia Beach/Tallwood) gave up a lead off single to the Pioneers in the top of the eighth, but came back to retire the next three batters in order.

VWC picked up offensively where it left off in the seventh, putting the first man on when Shayne Paskanik (Fredericksburg, Va./Colonial Forge) drew a walk.  UWP breathed a little easier after notching back-to-back outs, but VWC stayed with singles from Collins, Steve Jones (Virginia Beach/Lake Taylor) and a two-run single from Josh Hathaway (Williamsburg, Va./Jamestown), all combining to open up an 8-2 VWC lead.

Junior Ty Tweedy (Yorktown, Va./Chesapeake Greenbrier Christian) took the mound for VWC in the ninth and gave up a single and double, before leaving the runners stranded with back-to-back strike outs to end the game.

Jake Newton (DeRuyter, N.Y./DeRuyter) started the game for VWC and pitched six innings, striking out five, walking one, and allowing just three hits.  Evan Polk (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge) pitched to four batters and gave up two hits, before Brinkley entered in the seventh.  He struck out one and allowed just one hit.

Bill Oppriecht (Easton, Wis./Seneca) pitched the first six inning for UWP and gave up seven hits and four earned runs.  He fanned three batters. Davis Lenzen (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) finished, striking out one, walking two and allowing five hits and four earned runs.

VWC knocked out 12 hits overall, led by Sutryk and Collins with two each. 

Trevor Kattre (Abbotsford, Wis./Abbotsford) and Hopson finished with two hits each for UWP.

Virginia Wesleyan competes again on Saturday, Mar. 19, in an ODAC doubleheader at Roanoke College beginning at 12 p.m.

--AMDG--