Game 1 Boxscore
Game 2 Boxscore
CARY, N.C. - What a way to celebrate Senior Day.
Saint Augustine's College pulled off two big wins over Winston-Salem State Tuesday on a festive afternoon at USA Baseball Complex. The Falcons defeated the Rams 7-2 in the first game and 6-5 in the second game after falling behind in both contests.
The second game finished in thrilling fashion. Pitcher Brandon Stewart (Savannah, Ga.) of the Falcons ended the contest on a strikeout with the tying run on third base.
The victories were significant to the Falcons, who reached 30 wins for the second consecutive season under second-year head coach Charles Whitaker, the 2010 CIAA coach of the year. The defending CIAA champions, the Falcons (30-13 overall, 20-2 CIAA) maintained their hold on first place in the league standings while snapping the 12-game conference win streak of the Rams (21-13, 14-2 CIAA).
The doubleheader featured the top two teams in the Black College Baseball Division II poll. The Falcons are ranked No. 1 and the Rams are second.
Between games, the Falcons honored nine seniors including catcher Josh Bishop (Richmond, Va.), first baseman Brian Clark (Chicago, Ill.), shortstop Rashad Ingram (Savannah, Ga.), center fielder Joe Pierce (Wetumpka, Ala.),third baseman/pitcher Chris Vette (Hampton, Va.), Terence Townsend (Dillon, S.C.), right fielder Mike Wallace (Powhatan, Va.), second baseman Kevin White (Dunn, N.C.) and Stewart.
The seniors are in the midst of a four-year run which includes four 20-win seasons, one 30-win season, three league regular-season titles, three trips to the CIAA championship game and one CIAA tournament title. Their record over a four-year span is 113-68 overall.
A large contingent of fans from both schools cheered wildly for their teams, which made the atmosphere even more electric on Senior Day. They were treated to two exciting games featuring Falcon
comebacks.
Two first-inning errors put the Falcons behind 2-0 in the first game, but they quickly tied the score by the third inning. Pierce scored on a first-inning error and hit an RBI third-inning single to score Ingram, who reached base on a triple.
The Falcons added five more runs to put away the Rams. Left fielder
Wayne Lewis (Charlotte, N.C.) hit an RBI double and Wallace added an RBI single in the fifth inning. Ingram and Lewis each smacked one-run singles while Pierce hit an RBI double in the sixth inning.
Pierce finished 3-for-3 with two RBIs, two runs scored and a double for the Falcons. Lewis was 3-for-4 with two RBIs, one run scored and two doubles while Ingram was 2-for-3 with one RBI, one run scored, a triple and one stolen base. Ingram is the NCAA Division II leader in stolen bases and runs.
Pitcher
Alex Di Dio (Newport News, Va.) kept the Rams in check. He allowed three hits on seven complete innings to pick up the victory. The Falcons banged out 10 hits.
The Falcons fell behind again in the second game, trailing 3-0 before erupting for five runs in the fourth inning. They scored on RBI singles by Vette and Ingram, a two-run double by
Anthony Holloway (New Bern, N.C.) and a passed ball which allowed
Alex Howard (Wilson, N.C.) to score.
The Rams scored one run in the sixth, but the Falcons responded in the same inning with a Bishop RBI double and WSSU error which allowed him to score on the hit.
Leading 6-4 in the seventh inning, the Falcons held off the Rams for the win. Dominique Fitzgerald hit an RBI triple to pull the Rams within one, but with Fitzgerald on third base and two outs, Stewart struck out the next batter to clinch the victory for the Falcons.
Stewart scattered eight hits and had six strikeouts in seven innings for his NCAA-leading 10th victory. Holloway led the Falcons with two RBIs.
The Falcons host Elizabeth City State at USA Baseball Complex Thursday in a CIAA doubleheader. The first contest begins at 1 p.m.
