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TIGERS' TOURNEY RUN COMES TO AN END IN 11-10 LOSS TO VWC Marlins' eight run sixth proves too costly as Hampden-Sydney is eliminated
Box Score The loss eliminated the Tigers (20-19) from title contention and brought an abrupt end to what was an exciting run through the weekend for the tournament's fifth-seed. Virginia Wesleyan (25-13) advanced to play Washington and Lee in the championship contest at 4 pm. Hampden-Sydney received top-notch performances from its three seniors, outfielders Luke Swiney (Richmond, VA/Mills Godwin) and Hall Toledano (Asheboro, NC/Asheboro) and first baseman Evan Rogers (Chester, VA/L.C. Bird) in its final outing of the 2009 season. Swiney belted a solo home run in the second, his first of the year, to put the Tigers up 1-0. He finished the day 2 for 3 with one RBI and a run scored. Toledano collected two hits in his career finale while posting a team-high four RBI, two coming on an RBI double to center that brought Hampden-Sydney within 11-9 in the seventh. Rogers went 1 for 4 with a pair of RBI that were a part of the Tigers' five-run fifth frame which saw H-SC surge ahead 7-2. The big Tiger fifth opened up a tightly contested game that was controlled by each team's starting arm; John West (Lanexa, VA/Lafayette) for Hampden-Sydney and Nick Pisula for the Marlins. The Tigers used an RBI single from Zach Harrelson (Danville, VA/George Washington), a Matt Brown (Chester, VA/L.C. Bird) RBI double and Rogers' two-run single to ignite the rally. Toledano notched his second sacrifice fly of the day to cap the scoring and put H-SC ahead 7-2 at the midway point. After Shipp connected on his sixth homer of the year to draw the Marlins within 7-3, Virginia Wesleyan scored eight runs on seven hits in the sixth to reclaim a lead they had not held since 2-1 in the third. Six of those runs came with two outs as the Marlins chased West and took an 11-7 edge after the barrage that included Marion's 11th shot of the campaign. With reliever Matt Daniel (Richmond, VA/Trinity Episcopal) keeping Virginia Wesleyan from adding to the damage with 2.1 shut out innings of relief, the Tigers tried to mount one more offensive. Swiney drew a walk to load the bases with one away in the seventh for Toledano, who laced a line drive off the wall in left center. Harrelson and Rogers scored, but Swiney was thrown out trying to score from first. Toledano scored on a Chris Martin (Chesterfield, VA/Manchester) single up the middle to close H-SC to 11-10, but that was all the Tigers could muster the rest of the way, as Virginia Wesleyan avenged a 7-4 loss to Hampden-Sydney in Thursday's opening round. Hampden-Sydney outhit the Marlins 15-14, led by Harrelson's 4 for 5, one RBI, three run day. Williams and Brown, the Tigers' single-season doubles leader who collected his 18th and 19th doubles of the year, each tallied two hits in five at-bats. www.hsc.edu/athletics- |