By Gabby Devaud
Elm Staff Writer
With the 3-2 win versus Franklin & Marshall this past Tuesday, the Shoremen baseball team improved their record to 22-4 overall and 7-2 in the conference.
WC set a program record for wins in a season with 22, breaking the old mark of 21 set by the 1997 team. WC scored twice in the ninth inning to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 win.
In the bottom of the third, sophomore Nick Marinelli led off the inning with a single up the middle. Washington took a 1-0 lead when senior Ryan Normoyle hit a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Marinelli.
The Diplomats answered back with two runs in the top of the fourth to take a 2-1 lead.
Before the ninth inning, WC’s best chance to tie the game was in the bottom of the seventh with Matthews on second base. Freshman Dennis Thomas singled to center, but Matthews was thrown out at the plate on a perfect relay by F&M.
F&M led 2-1 entering the bottom of the ninth. There was one out and the bases were loaded following an infield single by sophomore Ian Remington.
With sophomore Nick Marinelli at the plate, the F&M pitcher threw a wild pitch and freshman Scott Matthews scored the tying run to even the game at 2-2. With one out, there were runners on second and third. After Marinelli popped out for the second out, junior Sean Connole was intentionally walked and reloaded the bases. The next batter, sophomore Jon Mahaffey was hit by a pitch, which forced in freshman Matt Christopher from third base for the game winning run.
In response to the walk-off hit by pitch to win the game, Mahaffey said, “Although it was an unconventional way of winning a baseball game, it was still great to get the win to set the record. We have confidence in every player on the team, so it goes without saying that any one of my teammates would have gotten the job done as well to win that game.”
Senior pitcher Shane Mattingly got the win and improves to 5-0 on the season. He tossed his second straight complete game victory as he struck out 11 batters, allowed three hits and just two earned runs, and walked two. It is the fifth time this season that Mattingly has struck out 10 or more hitters and the second straight game he has recorded double digits in strikeouts. He did not allow a hit after the fourth inning. At the plate, junior Tyler Cotterell had two of WC’s seven hits.
Washington has won three straight at home against F&M and four of the last five in the series. The Shoremen and the Diplomats will meet again on Friday in Lancaster, Penn., on F&M’s home turf at 3:30 p.m.