February 15, 2007

Boxscore

LAURINBURG, N.C.—Sophomore Matt Harkness (Walnut Cove, N.C.) ripped the first pitch of the bottom half of the 13th inning over the right-field fence for a walk-off home run, giving the St. Andrews Presbyterian College baseball team a 5-4 non-conference victory over Chowan University in the Knights home opener at Clark Field Thursday.

Harkness’ first home run of the season ended the 13-inning marathon and handed the Hawks their first loss of the season. SAPC improved to 2-4 on the early season while Chowan fell to 6-1.

Today’s scheduled seven-inning contest was suppose to be the first game of doubleheader but the nightcap was cancelled after the opener took three hours and 11 minutes.

St. Andrews grabbed an early 1-0 advantage in the first. Senior Ritchie Priest (Elizabethtown, N.C.) led off with an infield single and later scored from second on a throwing error by the Chowan catcher on a failed pick-off move.

The Knights extended their lead to 3-0 with a pair of runs in the third off RBI singles by junior Michael Eastwood (Grantsboro, N.C.) and junior Chad Heckler (Sidney, Ohio). Eastwood started the rally with his second hit of the contest, a double in the left-center gap. The SAPC runs in the third were the first earned runs allowed by sophomore Bryan Hill (Greenville, N.C.) in three starts and over 14-innings.

Junior starter B.J. Horne (Hamlet, N.C.) went five scoreless innings for St. Andrews, scattering just four hits while striking out four batters. Horne was pulled in the sixth after throwing 86 pitches in the first five frames.

Junior J.P. Salder (Burkeville, Va.), who had four hits for the visitors, broke up the shutout bid in the six after leading off with a single and later scoring on a wild pitch.

With their backs against the wall, the Hawks completed the comeback scoring two runs in their last at-bat. Freshman pinch hitter Nate Mitchell (Yorktown, Va.) started the seventh inning rally with a leadoff double to center but St. Andrews junior closer T.J. Chrusch (Fleetwood, Pa.) recorded the next two outs. However, Sadler kept Chowan alive with his fourth hit of the game. Salder slapped a single down the left field line that plated Mitchell. Junior Matt Bullock (Greenville, N.C.) followed with a double just out of the reach of the Knights right fielder that scored Salder from first.

The two teams played four scoreless extra innings before each team tacked on a run in the 12th. Chowan took advantage of a SAPC throwing error on a double play attempt that allowed the go-ahead (unearned) run to score. The visitors returned the favor with two errors that kept the bottom half of the 12th going. After the pair of Hawk miscues, sophomore pinch runner Jordan Scott (Tarboro, N.C.) crossed home plate on an Eastwood bases-loaded infield single.

After freshman rightie Jordan Cudney (Charlotte, N.C.) posted a 1-2-3 top of the 13th, Harkness stepped up the plate and drilled the game-winning homer to right field. Cudney (1-1) earned his first collegiate win after tallying two scoreless innings from the rubber. SAPC used five total pitchers that combined for 10 strikeouts.

Eastwood led the Knights offensively with four hits, two RBI, and a run scored. Priest scored both times he hit safely.

Junior Brandon Hamlett (Puquoson, Va.) fell to 1-1 after pitching six innings of relief of Hill. Hill fanned five.

St. Andrews will host a pair of non-conference regional doubleheaders this weekend. The Knights entertain Virginia State on Saturday and St. Augustine’s on Sunday with both twin billings starting at 1:00 p.m.