Box Score - Game One

Box Score - Game Two

CHARLESTON, W.Va.  – The University of Charleston baseball team has become accustomed to tight games this season as they have faced 17 one-run contests in 2010, while holding a 12-5 record in those contests. Sunday afternoon the team grabbed two one-run wins (4-3 & 8-7) with a doubleheader sweep of Washington Adventist (D.C.) at Appalachian Power Park.

Matt Thompson (Ashland, KY/Fairview) battled with the WAU hitters for five complete innings allowing just three runs, which only two were earned as the Shock took a 3-1 lead into the Charleston half of the fifth inning.

Senior Jim Clarke (Cranston, RI/Cranston West) recorded his only hit of the contest in the fifth for UC to drive home Andrew Armstrong (Washington, Pa./Trinity) who had walked to leadoff the inning and cut the deficit to 3-2. Freshman reliever Travis Zimmerman (Chesapeake, Ohio/Chesapeake) came on in the top of the sixth to quiet the Washington Adventist bats, which he did successfully by allowing just two hits in 2.0 innings of action, while recording two strikeouts to setup another comeback by Charleston.

UC secured the victory with two-runs in the sixth inning as Nick Barnes (Strasburg, Va./Strasburg) and hot-hitter Andy Stichter (Inglis, Fla./Dunnellon) each earned an RBI to take the lead 4-3, which Zimmerman held for the victory to improve his record to 4-0 this season.

The Golden Eagles commanded the final game of the weekend for the first four innings with a 3-1 lead and starter Blake Reta (Amanda, Ohio/Amanda Clearcreek) dealing strikeouts to the Shock batters.

WAU found a rhythm in the fifth inning forcing UC to bring on reliever Josh Lewis (St. Albans, W.Va./St. Albans), yet the Washington Adventist threat continued to the beat of four runs on four hits and a walk, while also capitalizing on a Golden Eagle error for the 5-3 lead.

In typical UC fashion the team mounted a comeback in the bottom of the seventh as Barnes and Armstrong combined back-to-back singles to lead off the inning with Barnes scoring on the Armstrong knock. Dramatics would follow as Stichter singled to put Armstrong in scoring position at second base. Freshman Igor Molina (Coral Springs, Fla./Coral Springs) would move the runners over for the first out of the inning, which forced the intentional walk to Clarke to load the bases and set up the doubleplay for WAU. The strategy would nearly workout for the Shock as Mike Dahl (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee Senior) hammered the ball to third base, but a bobble by the fielder would allow Armstrong enough time to score the tying run (5-5) forcing extra innings.

After a two-run homerun by WAU in the top of the eighth the game seemed to be over, yet the comeback efforts of UC would yet again not be denied as leading hitter Ross Easterling (Logan, W.Va./Logan) lead off the Charleston half of the inning with a hard-hit single, which was followed by a ringing double off the bat of Barnes. The Golden Eagles would against tie the contest (7-7) as Stichter drove in Easterling and Molina forced an error on a laser to the WAU shortstop.

Clarke proved to be the difference maker in the contest as he nailed a single in the tenth inning to put the victory within reach as UC reliever Matt Maus (Hamilton, Ohio/Stephen T. Badin) did his job in eliminating the Washington Adventist threat in the top half of the inning. Freshman John Schraer (Cincinnati, Ohio/Anderson) came into the game to pinch-run for Clarke which proved to be a great decision as Schraer would find himself 90ft from the win as a Dahl single would move him to third base.

The excitement of the game would not be lost in the closing moments with both teams cheering from the top steps of their respective dugouts, yet the conclusion of the game would come on an undramatic note. Schraer found his way across the plate when the Shock catcher could not control a 0-1 curveball that would bound all the way to the backstop ending the contest 8-7.

The Golden Eagles will look to continue their three-game streak as they travel to Alderson-Broaddus on Tuesday, April 13 for a 1:00 pm doubleheader.