Baseball edged out twice by Marywood

Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (March 15) - The Bethany College baseball team was dealt a two-game sweep by Marywood Thursday afternoon, falling by scores of 8-6 and 4-2 in a non-conference doubleheader.

THE MATCHUP

• Game 1 Final: Marywood 8, Bethany 6 (Box Score)
• Game 2 Final: Marywood 4, Bethany 2 (Box Score)
• Records: Bethany 2-6 | Marywood 5-3
• Location: Lawnwood Complex | Fort Pierce, Florida

GAME 1: Marywood 8, Bethany 6

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Bison struck first with a two-out RBI-single by junior Tyler Frazee (Markleysburg, Pa./Uniontown) that scored senior Kelaen Welch (Follansbee, W.Va./Brooke) in he first inning.
• Marywood answered with a two-out base-hit of its own that brought across two runs and gave the Pacers a 2-1 lead.
• Bethany battled back in the top of the second inning with three runs on three hits and an error to reclaim the lead at 4-2. Freshman Camden White (Keyser, W.Va./Keyser) brought home one run on a Marywood error, while Welch delivered a huge two-out single that scored two more runs to put the Bison on top.
• Marywood's bats continue to click in the bottom of the second. The Pacers tallied five hits and scored four runs to reclaim the lead at 6-4 and chase Bethany starting pitcher Nick Gross (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) early.
• Marywood would add a solo home run in the fourth inning to increase its lead to 7-4, before Bethany made another charge.
• The Bison had the bases loaded and one out, when sophomore Neil Woods (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) drew a walk to plate a run and slice the deficit to 7-5.
• Senior Ryan Nickerson (Huntington Beach, Calif./Huntington Beach) grounded into a fielders' choice to drive in another run, but the Bethany frame would still leave the Bison behind 7-6.
• Bethany managed to put the tying-run aboard with a hit-by-pitch in the top of the sixth inning. Junior Brandon Wagner (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) pinch-ran and stole second with no outs, but the next three batters were retired in order to preserve Marywood's one-run lead.
• The Bison yielded an eighth run in the bottom half of the sixth and were sat down in order in the seventh to close out the game.

TEAM LEADER

• Welch was the team's top-hitter, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored.
• He also added a pair of stolen bases to his final line.

GAME 2: Marywood 4, Bethany 2

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Marywood took the lead in the first inning, 1-0, with a pair of two-out base hits.
• Neither team manufactured much over the next three innings. Bethany starting pitcher Luke Gapinski (McKees Rocks, Pa./OLSH) limited the Pacers to just one hit during that stretch, but the Bison offense was also held to one hit through four innings.
• Marywood managed to increase its lead to 4-0 in the fifth inning with the help of three hits and an error to start the frame.
• Bethany's bats got going in the bottom of the sixth when junior John Lee (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) led the inning off with a double and scored on a Frazee RBI-single to make the score 4-1.
• After a Woods' double put runners on second and third, sophomore Isaac Wengert (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) reached base on an error to allow another run to score.
• The Bison were unable to do any further damage and left the tying runs on base to end the inning.
• Bethany would be retired in order in the seventh inning to close out the game. 

TEAM LEADERS

• Gapinski (0-1) went five innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits with four strikeouts in the loss.
• Lee led the offense with two hits and a run scored. 

UP NEXT:

• Bethany will play Washington College in a doubleheader tomorrow, Friday, March 16 at 10 a.m. to close out its spring break trip.
• Fans can follow a live statistical feed of the game, courtesy of Washington College, by visiting the schedule page for links.