HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, VA (April 15, 2006)—Hampden-Sydney’s baseball team swept an Old Dominion Athletic Conference doubleheader from Washington and Lee University on Saturday at Yank Bernier Field, winning game one in extra innings, 9-8, and taking the second game, 12-5.  With the wins, the Tigers improve to 19-13 overall and 11-5 in the ODAC where they remain in second-place in the standings, while the Generals fall to 17-11-1 overall and 9-7 in conference play. 

The Tigers and Generals battled in a back-and-forth contest in game one as the two teams exchanged the lead three times, with both scoring eight runs through the scheduled seven innings.  Tiger sophomore shortstop Todd Harrell (Chesapeake, VA/Nansemond-Suffolk) finally snapped the tie in the bottom of the tenth with a two-out single to score junior second baseman Anthony Denale (Lusby, MD/Patuxent) and give Hampden-Sydney the 9-8 lead. 

Denale proved to be a vital cog in the Tiger team in game one as he drove in the game-tying run in the bottom of the seventh inning with his third hit of the game, then reached base with his fourth hit in the tenth before scoring the game-winning run, his third of the game.  Harrell and senior first baseman Tommy Burk (Leesburg, VA/Loudoun County) each had three hits in the game, while junior right fielder John Apperson (Lynchburg, VA/Heritage) drove in three runs.  Harrell and sophomore catcher David Toney (Mechanicsville, VA/Lee-Davis) each drove in two, with Toney’s coming virtue of a two-run homer in the second inning. 

James Madden and Scott Gosselink each homered and drove in two runs for the Generals.  Madden’s homer came in the top of the seventh inning to put W&L ahead, 8-7.  Meanwhile, first baseman Taylor McConnell also had two RBI.  Tiger sophomore reliever Daniel Hadra (Mechanicsville, VA/Atlee) earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief, while General reliever Jeff Pharis took the loss despite three solid innings of relief in which he allowed one run on four hits. 

The Tigers spotted Washington and Lee a run in the top of the first in the second game, but scored three runs in the third and seventh and four in the fifth to take the contest, 12-5.  Hampden-Sydney starter Larry Greene (Alexandria, VA/West Potomac) earned the win to improve to 4-2 on the year as he worked six innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits while walking six and striking out five.  Johnson Brownlow took the loss after working four and two-thirds innings and surrendering nine runs (five earned) on nine hits while walking four and striking out two. 

Eight of the nine batters in the Tiger lineup drove in runs in the game, including Denale and Burk who each knocked in two.  Senior designated hitter John Schoenholtz (Dhahran, Saudi Arabia/McCallie) and sophomore third baseman Josh Michael (Front Royal, VA/Warren County) each had three hits, while senior shortstop Jay Lilley (Chesapeake, VA/Western Branch) had two hits to move into a tie with Mike Clark ’05 for first-place all-time in Tiger history with 145 career hits. 

Clayton Edwards paced the General attack with a homer and two runs-driven-in, while James Madden and Terrence McKelvey also had RBIs. 

Hampden-Sydney returns to action Tuesday, April 18, with a non-conference tilt at Methodist College at 3 pm in Fayetteville, NC.