Wild Game Ends in Heartbreak for Garnet as Wesleyan Rallies for 11-10 (10) Win
PEORIA, Ariz. - The Swarthmore College baseball team's Spring Break trip ended in heartbreaking fashion, as a wild pitch from sophomore Zach Weiner in the bottom of the 10th inning proved to be the difference as Wesleyan rallied from a four-run eighth inning deficit to defeat the Garnet 11-10 in 10 innings on Friday afternoon from the Padres Spring Training Facility in Peoria, Arizona.
With the defeat, the Garnet finish the Arizona trip with a 3-5 record.
The Garnet take to action from the spring training home of the Padres.
Tied 5-5 going into the eighth inning, the Garnet strung together a four-run inning to take a commanding 9-5 lead on the unbeaten Cardinals (8-0). Senior Jimmy Gill got it all started with a leadoff single and was promptly knocked home junior Thomas Nakamura two batters later, giving Swat the lead at 6-5.
Following a single from senior Ben Schneiderman, Swat got two more runs across the board thanks to a two-RBI single from sophomore Anthony Montalbano, giving the Garnet an 8-5 lead. The finals dagger of the inning came from senior Wily Archibald, whose single up the middle brought home Montalbano to make it a 9-5 game and brought the Swat dugout to its feet.
But as quickly as the Garnet would take the lead in the eighth inning, it would evaporate, as the Cardinals responded with four runs of their own in the bottom of the frame - thanks in part four singles and a Swat error - to tie the game 9-9.
After a scoreless ninth, the game entered extra innings and Swat found itself on the scoreboard first. Sophomore Mike Cameron lined a double right down the left field line, bringing home sophomore Spencer Ross - who reached on a dropped pop-up from the Wesleyan first baseman - to give the Garnet a slim 10-9.
Ahead entering the 10th, the game just slipped away from the Garnet. With the bases loaded and one out, the Cardinals brought home the tying run when the Garnet just missed completing a potentially game-ending double play. Then in the next at-bat, Weiner lost control of a pitch, allowing the Cardinals to bring home the winning run.
Weiner (0-2) pitched remarkably well for the Garnet in defeat, lasting three innings on just one day's rest - allowing two hits and two runs while striking out two. Derek Lukin (1-0) picked up the win for Wesleyan, throwing two innings of relief. Starting pitcher freshman Ramsey Walker was also outstanding in his first collegiate start, lasting five innings while striking out three.
Swarthmore - whose scheduled Sunday doubleheader vs. SUNY-IT has been cancelled - will return to action next week.
2010 Swarthmore Baseball
Swarthmore vs Wesleyan
Mar 12, 2010 at Peoria, Ariz. (Padres Complex No. 5)
Swarthmore 10 (3-5) Wesleyan 11 (8-0)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI
--------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
Anthony Montalbano 2b...... 6 1 1 2 Kyle Weiss cf.............. 2 2 1 0
Mike Waterhouse c.......... 6 1 1 1 Alex Meadow 1b............. 6 0 1 1
Wiley Archibald dh......... 5 1 2 1 Julian Sonnenfeld 3b....... 5 1 1 1
Miles Santo dh............ 0 0 0 0 Derek Dettorre ss.......... 5 2 2 1
Zach Schmidt dh........... 0 0 0 0 Brice Kelly rf............. 4 1 1 1
Michael Cameron 1b......... 5 1 2 2 David Skura dh............. 6 0 2 2
Spencer Ross 3b............ 5 1 1 0 Tom Miceli c............... 4 2 1 0
Jimmy Gill rf.............. 4 2 1 1 Jeff Bizinkauskas c....... 0 0 0 0
Rory McTear lf............. 3 0 1 0 Brandyn Cooper lf.......... 4 2 1 1
Tom Nakamura ss............ 3 2 2 3 Jon Sheehan 2b............. 5 1 3 2
Ben Schneiderman cf........ 4 1 2 0 Michael Cifuentes p........ 0 0 0 0
Ramsey Walker p............ 0 0 0 0 Glenn Stowell p........... 0 0 0 0
Adam Hardy p.............. 0 0 0 0 Chris Bonti p............. 0 0 0 0
Ignacio Rodriguez p....... 0 0 0 0 Derek Lukin p............. 0 0 0 0
Zach Weiner p............. 0 0 0 0
Totals..................... 41 10 13 10 Totals..................... 41 11 13 9
Score by Innings R H E
---------------------------------------------
Swarthmore.......... 000 112 140 1 - 10 13 2
Wesleyan............ 120 002 040 2 - 11 13 5
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Note: 2 outs, 2 runners LOB when the game ended.
E - A Montalbano; S Ross; A. Meadow; J.Sonnenfeld; T. Miceli; M. Cifuentes; C.
Bonti. DP - SWAT 1; WESBB10 1. LOB - SWAT 12; WESBB10 12. 2B - M Cameron; S Ross; B.
Kelly. 3B - B. Cooper. HBP - M Santo; R McTear; Schneiderman. SH - R McTear; T
Nakamura. SF - M Cameron; J Gill. SB - W Archibald 2; Schneiderman; B. Cooper. CS -
K. Weiss.
Swarthmore IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP
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Ramsey Walker ............. 5.0 6 5 5 6 3 0 0 0 0 20 26 5 6
Adam Hardy ................ 0.1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 3 0 1
Ignacio Rodriguez ......... 2.0 4 4 4 1 3 0 0 0 0 10 11 3 0
Zach Weiner L,0-2......... 2.1 2 2 2 3 2 1 0 0 0 9 12 2 2
Wesleyan IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO NP
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Michael Cifuentes ......... 5.1 4 2 1 1 3 0 0 1 0 18 22 7 5
Glenn Stowell ............. 0.0 1 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0
Chris Bonti ............... 2.2 7 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 15 4 4
Derek Lukin W,1-0......... 2.0 1 1 0 1 2 1 0 2 0 9 12 3 1
WP - A Hardy; Z Weiner; D. Lukin. HBP - by M. Cifuentes (Schneiderman); by D. Lukin (R
McTear); by D. Lukin (M Santo). Inherited runners/scored: A Hardy 2/2; I Rodriguez 2/0;
Z Weiner 3/2; C. Bonti 3/2. Pitches/strikes: None.
Strikeouts - M Waterhouse; W Archibald; S Ross; J Gill 2; J.Sonnenfeld; D. Skura 2;
T. Miceli; B. Cooper 3; J. Sheehan. Walks - S Ross; J Gill; R McTear; T Nakamura; K.
Weiss 4; J.Sonnenfeld; D. Dettorre; B. Kelly 2; T. Miceli; Bizinkauskas; B. Cooper.