MYRTLE BEACH, SC (March 13, 2023) – The first two games of Spring Break for Susquehanna baseball have been ideal results as the River Hawks claimed an 8-0 shutout win over McDaniel on Saturday evening before getting an exciting walk-off win over New England College on Sunday night, with a final score of 7-6.
Game 1: Susquehanna 8, McDaniel 0
As one would expect by the final score, the River Hawks dominated their Myrtle Beach opener, carried by a brilliant performance on the mound from Dillan Weikel, who tossed seven shutout frames while allowing just two hits and fanning six batters. Dominic Yeager would then relieve him in the 8th inning and allow no hits in two innings of work to seal the combined shutout.
On the offensive side, SU racked up ten hits while getting their runs in groups of two, plating two runners in the 2nd, 3rd, 7th, and 9th innings. They began in the 2nd with Tony Rossi reaching base on a leadoff walk before swiping second to get into scoring position. Michael Mancuso moved him to third with a single, and the two would then pull off a brilliant double steal to get Rossi home. Mancuso would advance to third on a groundout before Tyler Hmielewski hit a sacrifice fly to right field to pick up his first RBI of the season. In the 3rd, back-to-back one out singles by Kris Morrow and Brock Veit followed by a groundout to advance them both had Rossi back at the plate with two outs, runners on second and third. Rossi would hit a bloop into shallow right, which the roaming second basemen would mishandle, allowing both runners to score and push SU out to a four-run lead.
Three-straight scoreless frames would then bring the game to the top of the 7th, where Hmielewski led off with a single, Dylan Heyduk walked, and Sean McCulloch laid down a perfect bunt single to load the bases with no outs. Morrow then came to the plate and ripped a single to left center, scoring two more runs for the River Hawks. They would pick up a bit more insurance for good measure in the top of the 9th, putting together a two-out rally with three straight hits, capitalized by a two-RBI double from Lance Book.
Morrow was the standout on offense, going 4 for 5 at the plate with a run scored and two RBIs along with two stolen bases. Rossi and Mancuso also swiped a pair of bases each, with McCulloch and Veit had one each for an impressive team total of eight steals in the game.
Game 2: Susquehanna 7, New England College 6
Sunday's game was a damp one, with the initial 3:00 pm start time being pushed all the way to 8:00 after a rainy day. The contest was worth the wait though, as Susquehanna would come from behind twice to claim the lead, the second time also earning them the win in the bottom of the ninth.
After a quiet start for both offenses, a three-run home run for New England opened the scoring and put SU on the back foot. But they wouldn't stay down long, pushing back in the bottom of the 4th inning with four runs to take the lead. It began with a leadoff walk for McCulloch, one of three walks he would draw on the night. Morrow followed with a single, and Veit would then lay down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners to second and third. Book grounded out to short but brought McCulloch home to pick up an RBI and get SU's first run. Rossi followed with an RBI single to cut the gap to just one. The hits continued as Mancuso and J.P. Yore ripped back-to-back RBI doubles.
The top of the 6th brought the next scoring, with Aidan Martin taking the mound for SU after five innings of work from starter Teagan Duffie. It was a difficult beginning to Martin's work on the mound, as he would hit the first batter with a pitch and then commit a fielding error to allow a second runner to reach base. A walk loaded the bases, and a passed ball would then score the tying run for New England. With the score now tied again and runners on second and third with no outs, Martin got two straight strikeouts and looked to have a chance to get out of the inning. But a two-out, two-RBI double for New England gave them back the lead before another strikeout ended the inning. SU got one run back in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single by Book. Meanwhile, Martin began to mow down the New England hitters, striking out the side in three-straight innings to end the game, totaling a hefty 11 strikeouts in four innings of work. This allowed SU's offense the time to get back into the game. They would knot it again in the bottom of the 7th on a bases-loaded walk, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.
That came in the bottom of the 9th, as Susquehanna avoided extra innings with a walk-off RBI single up the middle by Book, earning Martin a well-deserved win in relief and SU their eighth win of the 2023 campaign.
The River Hawks totaled 11 hits in the game, with Morrow, Book, Rossi, and Hmielewski all getting two apiece and McCulloch, Mancuso, and Yore getting one each. Book led the way with three RBIs, bringing his season total to an impressive 18 after just 11 games.
SU is scheduled for two more games in Myrtle Beach this week, taking on Rutgers-Camden tomorrow night at 7:00 pm before wrapping up the trip on Wednesday morning at 10:00 am, when they'll take on Framingham State University.
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--RIVER HAWKS--
