VERONA, Wis. – The Edgewood College baseball team had to work harder than expected against a scrappy Maranatha Baptist team, but the Eagles escaped with a non-conference sweep on Thursday night. Edgewood College rallied from two runs down in the bottom of the seventh, winning 6-5 on Casey Willis walk-off single, then rode Mason Maziarka on the mound to his first career win in a 9-2 triumph.
Senior Jonathan Roehler drove both of the Eagles first two runs, on a ground out in the first and a sacrifice fly in the third to help Edgewood College (14-8) starter Alex Meister to a 2-1 lead. After Maranatha Baptist (1-18) tied the game, Dane Lamont put the Eagles back ahead in the fourth with a ringing double over the head of the left fielder to score Nick Cheaney from second. The double was Lamont's first career hit and first career run batted in.
However, things got tense for Edgewood College when the Sabercats scored a run in the sixth and took a 5-3 lead in the seventh on a two-out, two-run single by Caleb Courtney. In the bottom of the seventh and final inning, the Eagles loaded the bases with one out on singles by Nik Visone and Danny Appino and a hit by pitch from Roehler. Tim Nunn stepped in as a pinch hitter and hit a hard ground ball toward first, but the ball took a wicked bounce and struck the Maranatha first baseman before bounding into foul territory. Visone and Appino both scored on Nunn's unusual double. After a Sabercat pitching change, Cheaney was intentionally walked bringing up sophomore Casey Willis. Willis hit a 1-0 pitch over the drawn in outfield for his first career hit and a walk-off winner to boot.
Callen Gavic went 3-for-3 to lead the Eagles attack, while Fowler and Appino both went 2-for-4. Meister pitched five solid innings striking out four batters and yielding just two earned runs. AJ Weedon pitched the sixth inning, and Appino came in from left field to pitch the seventh and earn his second win of the season.
Edgewood College wasn't interested in any more drama in game two. The Eagles scored a run in the first on an Appino squeeze bunt to score Patrick Wardlaw, and then added four runs in the second inning. Gavic had an RBI single and scored on a wild pitch, while Visone smoked a two-run single down the right field line for a 5-0 Eagles lead.
Cheaney recorded an RBI single in the third to keep the Eagles in front 6-1. In the fourth Ryan Cassady rapped an RBI single for his first career hit and Nunn pushed him home with a double to left center. The Eagles added one more run on a Maranatha throwing error for a 9-2 lead.
Maziarka picked up his first career win by striking out three batters and allowing two earned runs on five hits. Rory Mulvihill made his collegiate debut something to remember when he entered to pitch the sixth and seventh innings. Mulvihill struck out the first five batters he faced in his career in pitching two perfect innings to close the game.
Visone, Cheaney and Jeff Tucker all went 2-for-3 with Visone getting two RBIs. Nunn also had two hits, including a double.
Edgewood College's wins snapped a four-game losing streak and set them up for this weekend's NACC doubleheaders. The Eagles will host MSOE on Saturday at Stampfl Field, and then travel to Lakeland University in Plymouth for an Easter Monday doubleheader.
