SEWANEE, Tenn. –
Sebastian Leinberger posted two hits with one RBI and
Aidan Petrocco drove in three runs and scored twice in Sewanee's 10-4 victory over Nebraska Wesleyan at Wahoos Stadium in Pensacola, Fla.
The Tigers (10-4-1) took advantage of seven wild pitches by the Prairie Wolves (2-5), scoring three times in the seventh inning and five runs in the eighth. Four of Sewanee's run came across on wild pitches while Petrocco provided the big blow in the five-run eighth with a two-run double.
Ten Tigers pitchers limited Wesleyan to five hits, though the unit allowed six walks with one hit batter.
Jack Merril,
Holden Phillips,
Ben Weiser,
Davis Jones,
Dominic Veneri,
Jake Walling and
Will Berry each worked one scoreless inning, with Merril and Jones each striking out the side. Veneri (1-0) picked up the win as the beneficiary of the three-run seventh, giving up one walk with one strikeout.
Wesleyan starter Garrett Walsh allowed three runs on three hits in six innings.
Tyler Pinson homered to leadoff the second inning for the game's first run, but the Prairie Wolves answered with a run in the third.
Sam Schaefer singled to start the inning and moved to second on Brayden Harvey's sacrifice bunt. Schaefer went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Jaxon Volkmer's sacrifice fly, evening the game at one.
Sewanee regained the lead briefly in the top of the fourth after
Charlie Teel was hit and Pinson walked.
Will Jennewein's sac bunt moved the runners to second and third and
Ethan Williams' groundout up the middle pushed across Teel.
Nebraska Wesleyan added two more runs in the bottom with just one hit after
Layton Bilderback hit Easton Johnson and then walked Eli Eldred and Owen Duckworth. Brady Bell's sac fly plated a run and Ryan Ruggiero followed with an RBI single, but Williams picked off a runner at second and Schaefer flied out to end the inning without any further damage.
The game remained 3-2 NWU until the seventh when Williams singled to start the inning and pinch-hitter
Landis Fluck walked. With one out Leinberger singled to left, loading the bases, and Petrocco's groundout to short scored a run.
Spencer Yu then walked, loading the bases again, and
Benjamin Wilson scored on a wild pitch. Petrocco later came across on a wild pitch for a 5-3 Tigers advantage.
In the eighth Jennewein doubled with one out and went to third on a wild pitch before
Tre Wilson walked and stole second.
Benjamin Wilson also drew a free pass, loading the bases, and Jennewein scored on a wild pitch.
Leinberger then plated a run with a single to left and Petrocco followed with a two-run double down the leftfield line, stretching the lead to 9-3. Yu and Teel later walked and Petrocco scored on another wild pitch.
The Prairie Wolves got a run back in the bottom of the inning when Johnson doubled, went to third on a wild pitch and came across on a groundout by Duckworth. Wesleyan loaded the bases in the ninth thanks to an error and two walks before Johnson flied out to end the contest.
Sewanee faces 16
th-ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater on Thursday at 10 a.m.
