WILMINGTON, N.C. - Cody Stanley belted a 2-1 offering
over the wall in left to lead off the bottom of the ninth and lift UNC
Wilmington to a 4-3 win over Duquesne in college baseball action Sunday at
Brooks Field.
With their
fourth straight win, the Seahawks pushed their record to 8-7, while the Dukes,
losers of their last four, fell to 2-12.
With the
game tied in the top of the ninth, DU loaded the bases against senior reliever
Seth Frankoff (3-0) with none out. Frankoff fanned Mike Ganley and then induced
an inning-ending double play by Joe Lombardo to keep the game tied and set the
stage for Stanley's heroics.
Stanley finished
2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of home runs and three runs batted in. No
other Seahawk managed more than one hit on the afternoon.
Duquesne
wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in the first inning against UNCW
junior starter Justin Bradley. Matt Carson doubled to lead off and scored on
Chris Kimmeth's two-out single up the middle later in the inning.
Stanley's
first round tripper of the game, a two-run shot, came in the third inning and
gave UNCW a 3-1 lead against DU junior starter Andrew Heck (1-3).
The Dukes,
however, answered back immediately in the top of the fourth when Rick Devereaux
and Mark Tracy hit back-to-back homers off Bradley to even the game at
three-all. Both Devereaux and Tracy finished with two hits apiece.
From that
point it was a pitcher's duel as Heck and Bradley shutout both lineups until
Stanley's solo homer in the ninth.
Heck went
the distance for the second time this season, allowing four runs on five hits,
walked three and struck out four.
Bradley gave
UNCW seven strong innings, surrendering three runs on six hits and a pair of
walks. Bradley finished with six strikeouts.
The Seahawks
visit Elon on March 16 for a 6 p.m. start against the defending Southern
Conference champions.
Notes: Justin Bradley tied his career-best
with his seven innings of work ... Over his last 14 innings, Bradley has struck
out 15 batters and allowed 13 hits ... Grayson Evans and Hunter Ridge extended
their hitting streaks to eight games while Stanley ran his to six ... Seth Frankoff earned the win, it was his third win as a reliever and second on the
week ... UNCW has now played three straight error-free games ... With three double
plays on the afternoon, the Seahawks now have 21 on the season ... The game
lasted just 1:57.