Game 1 Boxscore
Game 2 Boxscore
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Senior right fielder Mike Wallace (Powhatan, Va.) smacked an RBI triple in the sixth inning to give Saint Augustine's College a 3-2 win over upstart Winston-Salem State Tuesday in Game 1 of a CIAA baseball doubleheader at BB&T Ballpark.
The Falcons' bats erupted in the second game as they cranked out 12 hits for a 5-2 victory. With the sweep, the Falcons (4-4 overall), who are the defending CIAA champions, stayed unbeaten in the CIAA at 4-0 while snapping a three-game losing streak. The Rams, playing baseball this season for the first time since 1973, fell to 5-5 overall and 2-2 in the CIAA.
Wallace's game-winning hit was one of seven by the Falcons in the first game. Senior center fielder Joe Pierce (Wetumpka, Ala.) was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and junior third baseman Alex Howard (Wilson, N.C.) was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Howard scored off Wallace's triple in the sixth inning after getting on base with a triple of his own.
Pierce tied the game 1-1 in the third inning with a single that scored junior left fielder Wayne Lewis (Charlotte, N.C.). The Falcons added another run in the fourth inning on an RBI single by sophomore designated hitter Jeremy Wilkins (Smithfield, N.C.) that scored Howard. The Rams tied the game in the fourth inning, setting the stage for Wallace's heroics.
Sophomore pitcher Alex Di Dio (Newport News, Va.) allowed six hits and struck out nine while walking one in seven innings to improve to 1-2. Brice Rivenbark, who pitched five and one-third innings, was the losing pitcher for the Rams.
The Falcons raced to a 4-0 lead by the fourth inning to take command of the second game. Senior shortstop Rashad Ingram, (Savannah, Ga.) named Black College Baseball national player of the week earlier in the day, led the Falcons in the fourth inning with a two-run single. He finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and one run scored.
The Rams scored in the fifth inning but the Falcons tacked on another run in the sixth. Freshman pinch runner Calvin Butcher (New Castle, Del.) scored on an error for a 6-1 Falcons' lead. The Rams added a run in the seventh inning for the final score.
Senior pitcher Brandon Stewart (Riverdale, Ga.) of the Falcons scattered eight hits and struck out nine with no walks in seven innings for the win (2-1). Joseph Herbert took the loss for the Rams.
Senior catcher Josh Bishop (Richmond, Va.) was 3-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored for the Falcons. Sophomore first baseman David Nelson (Richton Park, Ill.) was 2-for-4 and Pierce was 1-for-4 with an RBI.
The Falcons are on the road again Wednesday. They travel to Lawrenceville, Va., to visit Saint Paul's in a CIAA rematch starting at 1 p.m. The Falcons swept the Tigers on Feb. 9, winning 9-0 and 16-0.
