FERRUM, Virginia – The Wilmington College baseball team dropped both games of a doubleheader at Ferrum College on Monday, falling 16-5 in game one and 8-1 in game two.
In game one, the Panthers jumped on Fightin' Quakers starter Bryant McCarty in the first inning Tim Ortega launched a three-run home run to center field. Wilmington got the lead-off runner on base in both the second and third innings, but couldn't get the breakthrough hit with runners in scoring position. McCarty would pitch scoreless frames in those innings and end his day after four innings and four earned runs having surrendered an RBI-single in the fourth.
Wilmington's offense broke through offensively in the fifth as Jake Hyatt and Kasey Bottorff reached base via a hit by pitch and single respectively. After a groundout and a fielder's choice, Gage Bley ripped a single to left field that scored both Hyatt and Antonio Miller.
The Quakers entered the bottom of the fifth trailing 4-2, but their bullpen couldn't keep Ferrum off the scoreboard as the Panthers scored four runs on three hits and an error to build the lead back up to 8-2. Wilmington would get two of those runs back in the sixth on RBI-hits from Hyatt and Bottorff, but Ferrum batted around and plated seven runs in the bottom of the eighth to put the game out of reach.
Hyatt finished 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs scored while Bley and Bottorff also finished with two hits. Josh Greenway and Grey Sherfey both had three-hit games for Ferrum.
In game two, Ferrum led 1-0 after three complete innings, but the Panthers' offense couldn't be contain in the middle three innings of the game. Ferrum put together a four-run, four-hit inning in the fourth followed by a three-run, five-hit fifth. The Quakers scored an unearned run in the sixth as Luke Kleindl scored via an error. Wilmington got just one more hit off Ferrum relief pitching in final three innings.
Lance Fleischman took the loss allowing four earned runs in three innings pitched with two strikeouts. Thomas Hueber and Adam Doerger effective as the two combined for 3.2 innings of zero runs surrnedered in relief. Offensively, Bottorff finished 2-for-4 while Mason Walker had a double. Joe Legin drew two walks.
Kyle Anstice and Christian Campbell both had three-hit games for Ferrum in the win.
Wilmington hosts Ivy Tech Fort Wayne for the home-opener on Wednesday.