The Beloit College baseball team split a doubleheader of scheduled seven innings games to Washington and Jefferson in the squad's final day of competition in the RussMatt Invitational in Auburndale, Florida. The Buccaneers took the opener 9-7 in eight innings before falling in the nightcap 5-2.
Game one was a back-and-forth affair with WJC plating the first run of the game in the bottom of the first. The Bucs claimed the lead in the top of the next frame with
Matt Crandall scoring on an error and
Evan Zenger touching home on a fielder's choice.
Washington and Jefferson knotted the game in the bottom of the inning but Beloit had the response once again. Zenger's single to right field coupled with a defensive miscue made it 3-2 Beloit in the third.
The Bucs doubled up in the fourth with three runs bolstered by a two-RBI triple from
Deven Irwin.
A two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth narrowed the Beloit lead to 6-4 before WJC was able to plate the tying runs in the bottom of the seventh to send the game into extra innings.
In the top of the eighth, Crandall notched an infield single that brought in the go-ahead run before
Greg Nelson singled up the middle to give Beloit a three-run cushion, 9-6.
A sacrifice fly brought in one run in the bottom of the eight but the Buc defense held for the win.
Garrison Ferone, Crandall and Zenger all registered a pair of hits in the game to lead the Beloit offense.
Matthew Starr picked up the win after three innings of relief.
Ryan Deany was credited with a save coming in for the final inning of work.
Washington and Jefferson held Beloit to just three hits in the nightcap. The lone scores for the Bucs came in the fifth as
Ryan Kopp tripled to center field to plate Crandall and
Jake Rudolph registered an RBI groundout the tied the game at 2-2.
Three runs for WJC in the top of the seventh rounded out the scoring.
AJ Parnell was tapped for the start but registered a no decision in the contest fanning three and allowing a single earned run in five innings of work.
Harvey Pena was saddled with the loss after giving up three runs in two innings on the mound.
