BRIDGEWATER, Va. (BC Athletics) – The No. 4 seeded Bridgewater College baseball team nailed a comeback extra innings walk-off thriller to take down No. 5 seeded Washington and Lee in the first game of the ODAC opening round Saturday.
The Basics
Score: Bridgewater (BC) 9, Washington and Lee (WLU) 8
Records: BC (31-10), WLU (20-13-1)
How It Happened
• The first game of the opening round carried a constant back-and-forth momentum push as both teams had their offenses stunted from strong play on the mound. A showdown on the mound took place as the pitcher’s duel lasted through seven innings of work. Both offenses found slivers of an offensive rally, but neither team could find a steady momentum for much of the contest. Bridgewater stepped up to take the lead and then WLU found a surge to fight right back. Each inning, each pitch, and each at-bat intensified in extra innings.
• BC struck first in the third inning as Zack Chadwell cracked a double to left field to knock in Jakson Walter and Ashton Smith. The lead soon diminished as the reoccurring them played out throughout the action. WLU laid down two runs in the fourth to quickly knot the score at two apiece.
• The Generals found their first opening in the sixth inning as a run scored off an errant toss to first base. However, the Eagles recovered and found their groove again in the seventh inning with a Nick Stavros RBI double. The pitching held down to close the frame with a standstill at three runs apiece.
• The Eagles found themselves in a hole in the eighth inning as WLU launched ahead with the help of a solo home run and an RBI single for a 5-3 edge. BC answered confidently in the bottom of the eighth to claim the lead back. Chandler Valbak came around to score executed on a wild pitch. Then, Trent Holland squared up a single to bring home Bransen Hensley to even the score at five. Ashton Smith dialed another single drilled through the infield to get Trent Holland to score and take the lead.
• In the closing innings, both teams exchanged late rallies. WLU fought off the opposing advantage in the ninth with a game-tying RBI single with two outs. Through tough relief pitching and steady defenses the game entered extra innings, reaching the 12th frame. The Generals surged ahead with a two-run long ball, and the Eagles were suddenly up against the wall with a two-run deficit. Valbak fired away with a darting single through the infield to bring home pinch runner, Josh Wright. Bases were loaded, a one-run deficit was still to be overcome, and TJ Johnson clamped the bat ready to swing. Johnson ripped a single through the left side to knock in Bryce Suters and Valbak for the ballgame in walk-off fashion.
Game Notes
• The Eagles stacked up the strikeout total on the mound, combining for 11. Cam Nuckols collected seven strikeouts through seven innings.
• Chandler Valbak and Trent Holland each posted two runs scored, two hits, and one RBI.
• Andrew Baugher notched his fourth win of the season.
Up Next
The Eagles return tomorrow, May 3 against Washington and Lee in a best-of-3 series to play for a chance to reach the ODAC finals round in Tysons, Va. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.
— BC Athletics —
