The Seattle University baseball team once again took the early lead and rode its starting pitcher to victory, as the Redhawks defeated the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights, 9-1, Sunday afternoon in a non-conference collegiate baseball game at Bannerwood Park.
Grant Newton (Bend, Ore.) led off the second inning with a single, and Sheldon Stober (Kent, Wash.) followed with a walk. Sean Sutton (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho) advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt before Brock Carpenter (Milton, Wash.) was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Michael McCann (Vancouver, Wash.) laced a single through the left side, scoring Newton and Stober and advancing Carpenter to third base, from where he would score on a successful squeeze bunt by Nelson Taylor (Seattle, Wash.).
Ted Hammond (Shoreline, Wash.) picked up his first victory of the season with six innings of shutout baseball, at one point retiring 11 consecutive Knight batters before allowing just three infield hits. He threw 86 pitches, 52 of them for strikes, as he collected four strikeouts, including a key strikeout with two outs and runners on second and third base in the fifth inning.
The Redhawks broke the game open in the sixth inning with five runs, featuring triples by McCann and Stober as well as a double by Landon Cray (Chimacum, Wash.) that would eventually score two runs. The Knights broke through in the seventh inning with a bases-loaded fielder’s choice grounder by Bobby Romano, but Seattle U responded in the eighth inning with its final run as Carpenter drove in pinch-runner Curtis Perrin (Vancouver, Wash.) after Brian Olson (Black Diamond, Wash.) had doubled to open the bottom of the eighth.
After Garrett Anderson (Kennewick, Wash.) allowed the single FDU run in the seventh inning, Kyle Doyle (Covington, Wash.) retired the first two batters of the eighth inning before giving way to Chris Carns (Federal Way, Wash.), who retired the final four hitters in order, ending the game with a strikeout.
Newton and McCann led the Redhawks with three hits apiece as Seattle U outhit Fairleigh Dickinson, 13-6, in the series finale. For the weekend, the Redhawks collected 41 hits as they outscored the Knights 29-2 over the three-game series.
“Our pitching and defense was outstanding this weekend, and it allowed our offense to get into a rhythm. It was much needed for our guys to feel success, and hopefully we can carry that momentum into next week’s games,” Seattle U head baseball coach Donny Harrel said.
Fairleigh Dickinson (0-3) was led by Dylan Sprague, who went 2-for-3 Sunday. Logan Frati started the game for the Knights and took the loss, giving up six hits, three walks, and three runs in five innings of work while striking out four batters.
Seattle University (4-8) continues the now-11 game homestand by hosting the Portland Pilots Tuesday, March 3, starting at 4 p.m. at Bannerwood Park before welcoming the UC Davis Aggies for a three-game series next weekend, beginning Friday, March 6, at 5 p.m.