Walk-off winner propels Devils
Sports Information Department – 112 Dods Hall
Phone (716) 673-3100 / Fax (716) 673-3136
CONTACT: Matt Palisin,
Sports Information Dept.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Baseball
FREDONIA, N.Y. -- The Devils swept a doubleheader from Bethany (W.V.) Sunday at Ludwig Field by scores of 6-5 and 10-6.
Game one ended in dramatic fashion as Joe Kephart hit a towering opposite-field walk-off home run to end the game with one out in the bottom of the eighth.
With the Devils up 4-1, Bethany tied the game 4-all with three runs in in the sixth. The Bison took the lead, 5-4, with a run in the seventh.
The Devils rallied to tie as Jordan Basile was walked to start the bottom of the seventh. Following a Josh Greco double, Donnie Kirsch, who was three for three, was intentionally walked. Rob Herrmann was hit by a pitch to force in the tieing run. However, three straight pop outs ended the Devils' threat.
Nick Cummings, who entered to start the seventh, tossed a one-two-three eighth inning, thus setting the stage for Kephart's home run. Cummings would get credit for the win, improving to 5-0 on the season.
Greco hit a solo home run in the third for the Devils. In addition, his seventh-inning double was his 13th on the season, a new Blue Devil record, eclipsing the previous standard set by Bryan Dean (1995) and Darren Geibel (1993).
Game two saw senior Tom Hausler (5-1) gut out five and a third innings, following a four-inning save the day before, to earn the win. He allowed three unearned runs in the fourth, before leaving with a pair of runners on and one out in the sixth. Alan Schoeneck would come in and close the door and earn the save.
Offensively, the Devils were paced by Jake Nowak's two hits and four RBI. Basile and Pete Lusk added three hits apiece. Sam Tuzzeo was two for two with a pair of walks.
The Devils, ranked fifth in the New York region, improve to 25-7 overall and 10-1 at Ludwig Field. They complete the regular season with an afternoon trip to Penn State Behrend before opening up play in the SUNYAC Tournament on Friday.