Bethany takes one of two at Westminster

Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. (April 27) - The Bethany College baseball team dropped game one of its Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) doubleheader Friday afternoon.

THE MATCHUP

• Game 1 Final: Westminster 8, Bethany 1 (Box Score)
• Game 2 Final: Bethany 13, Westminster 5 (Box Score)
• Records: Bethany 9-20, 6-8 PAC | Westminster 13-11, 7-7 PAC
• Location: Westminster Baseball Field | New Wilmington, Pennsylvania

GAME 1: Westminster 8, Bethany 1

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Westminster took the lead early with the help of a pair of doubles in the first inning to take a 3-0 advantage.
• Bethany looked poised to cut into the lead in the second inning when it loaded the bases with two hits and the aid of an infield error with one out, but a double-play ended the threat.
• After Westminster added to its lead with a solo home run in the bottom of the second, the Bison got onto the board in the third with a two-out RBI single by sophomore Kevin Marthinsen (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) to make the score 4-1.
• The Titans got the run right back in the bottom of the third with consecutive hits to lead off the inning rebuild the Westminster lead to 5-1.
• The Bison scattered four hits over the next six innings and Westminster turned two more double plays to keep Bethany off of the scoreboard.
• The Titans added three more runs during that span to close out the series opening win.

GAME NOTES

• Junior pitcher Nick Gross (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) fell to 3-5 this season after yielding six runs (three earned) on nine hits with two strikeouts.
• Juniors Neil Woods (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) and John Lee (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) each had two hits, with Lee hitting a double.
• The Bison bullpen combined to go four innings and held Westminster to two runs on six hits during that span.

GAME 2: Bethany vs. Westminster

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both teams stranded runners on base in the first inning, before the Bison ran out to the lead in the second.
• A trio of one-out singles, including a RBI base-hit by senior Saige Micomonaco (Middletown, Ohio/Madison), put two runners on and gave Bethany a 1-0 lead.
• Senior Jacob Miller (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington North) stepped in and sent a pitch over the left field fence for a three-run home run and a 4-0 lead.
• Westminster managed to get one run back in the bottom of the second, but the Bison would eventually add to its lead in the fourth.
• The Bison put two runners on with one out when Lee delivered a RBI-single to extend the lead to 5-1. Lee would steal second and an errant throw on the steal attempt allowed a second run to come to the plate and make the score 6-1.
• Westminster threatened in each of the next two innings, but Bethany sophomore pitcher Issac Wengert (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) managed to escape both jams unscathed to preserve the Bison lead.
• Bethany manufactured two more runs in the sixth inning to give Wengert an 8-1 lead. A trio of singles, including an RBI-hit by Marthinsen, and a sacrifice fly by junior Tyler Frazee (Markleysburg, Pa./Uniontown) helped produce the runs.
• The Bison eventually built its lead up to 13-2 with five runs on five hits in the eighth inning, including a RBI hits from Woods, freshman Kyle Goodwin (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg) and Miller.
• Westminster would tack on three runs in the ninth, but a strikeout with runners on ended the game and gave Bethany a split.

GAME NOTES

• Wengert improved to 4-3 this season after holding the Titans to three runs (two earned) on 13 hits with two strikeouts.
• Miller led the offense with three hits, a home run, four RBI and two runs scored.
• Lee and Goodwin each finished with three hits and two runs scored, while Goodwin drove in two runs.
• Woods, Marthinsen and senior Kelaen Welch (Follansbee, W.Va./Brooke) each had two hits in the win.

UP NEXT:

• Bethany was scheduled to play its PAC doubleheader at Saint Vincent tomorrow, Saturday, April 28, but those games have been moved to Sunday, April 29 due to the projected rainfall in the region on Saturday.
• The doubleheader is set to begin at 1 p.m.