AUBURNDALE, Fla. -- The 25th ranked Washington & Jefferson College baseball team split a pair of games with Beloit College in action Saturday at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. The Presidents suffered a 9-7 loss in extra innings in game one. W&J responded with a 5-2 victory in game two to gain the split.
The split moves W&J's record to 6-4 overall. Beloit is now 4-6 in 2022.
Game 1 - Beloit 9, W&J 7 (8 Innings)
Beloit broke a 2-2 tie with a single run in the third before adding three more runs in the fourth. Scott Zaas (Powell, Ohio/Wellington School) launched a two-run home run, his second of his freshman season, to cut the deficit to 6-4 after four full innings.
Down to its final three outs, W&J put together a rally in the bottom of the seventh inning. A one-out double by
Jason Gregovits (Avon Lake, Ohio / Avon Lake) and single by
Peter Kalinski (Washington, D.C./Saint John's College) put runners on the corners for the Presidents. Sante followed with an RBI double that cut the deficit to 6-5 by scoring Gregovits.
Trevor Dean (San Diego, Calif. / Rancho Bernardo) followed with a game-tying sac fly to deep center field that scored Kalinski. W&J had a chance to win it but a strikeout with the bases loaded ended the threat and sent the game to extra innings.
The Buccaneers pushed three runs across in the top of the eighth inning. W&J made things interesting in the bottom of the frame after a leadoff pinch hit double by
Nolan Lutz (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette). Lutz eventually came around to score on a sac fly by Gregovits.
Cameron Hayman (Windsor, Calif./Windsor) turned in the best outing on the mound for W&J in game one. The junior recorded three scoreless innings with six strikeouts in relief.
Game 2 - W&J 5, Beloit 2
W&J and Beloit battled through six innings again in game two, as the two teams were deadlocked in a 2-2 tie entering the top of the seventh.
A bunt single by freshman
Jacob LaDuca (Clarence, N.Y./Canisius) sparked a decisive three-run inning for the Presidents. Gregovits followed with a single and Kalinski walked to load the bases. A wild pitch gave W&J a 3-2 lead as LaDuca scored. Sante drilled a liner into center field to give W&J a pair of insurance runs with a 5-2 lead.
Brandon Bastian (Barto, Pa./The Hill School) recorded the final three outs in order to pick up his first collegiate save.
Shane Fox (Valencia, Pa./Mars Area) got the start and posted five strong innings on the mound. Fox allowed two runs on three hits and struck out five.
Ethan Marszalek (Katy, Texas / Seven Lakes) picked up his first collegiate win with a scoreless inning of relief.
Sante and Gregovits finished with two hits apiece in the victory.
W&J will face Wisconsin - La Crosse on Sunday, March 20. First pitch is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. at Northeast Regional Park.
