4th place finishers in the Atlantic Conference UNB Baseball traveled to Halifax on Saturday for the start of a 3 game series against first place Dal. UNB swept defeating Dal by scores of 10-3 and followed that up with a 7-5 victory in Game 2.
In Game 1 there was no score until the 5TH. UNB had gone hitless to that point. Jacob Smith led off with a walk; Corey Hughes bunted him over and reached on error. Andrew MacLaggan then walked, Brad Lawson drove Smith in with an RBI single, Ryan Corey had sac fly scoring Hughes. Jake Waugh then reached on error. Phil Brown had an RBI single, which ended Dal’s starting pitcher Barrett Bellefontaine’s day. Jared Doyle welcomed Duncan Maclellan with a 2 RBI double and Sky Perley and Jacob Smith each added RBI singles for a total 8 run inning that brought 12 batters to the plate.
Dal answered back in bottom of inning with 3 runs of their own. But in the top of the 6th, UNB doused that fire with 2 more runs when Lawson led off being hit by a pitch, he stole second, went to third on a throwing error to the catcher, and Waugh drove him in on a fielders choice. Brown singled, and Doyle drove Waugh in with a RBI single. That changed the pitchers again, putting Lee Spares on the mound, who finished up for them. Final score….10-3.
Jake Waugh went all 7 innings, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits on 1 earned run, walked 3, hit 1, and struck out 1
In Game 2, Dal scored 3 in the 1st off Alex English with 3 singles and 2 doubles. He walked 2 and hit a batter in the 2nd, which brought winning pitcher Ryan MacDonald to the mound in the 3rd. UNB made it a 3-2 game in the 3rd when Nick Cameron led off with a single, but was thrown out at 2nd on an attempted steal. Jacob Smith walked then stole 2nd, Andrew MacLaggan then singled, Phil Brown reached on and error which scored Smith, and Ryan Corey drove in MacLaggan with an rbi single.
In the 5th, UNB took the lead when Lawson reached on error. Corey Hughes stole 2nd as the pinch runner, and Doyle came up with a 2 run home run. With UNB leading 4-3 until the 7th when we added 3 insurance runs. Brown and Ryan Corey each singled and both stole second. Doyle drew the walk, Waugh’s squeeze was unsuccessful, but he did reach 1st on the Fielders Choice. Cameron then drove in Corey and Doyle with a single and Waugh scored on a throwing error to the catcher.
Dal made attempt to come back in the bottom of the 7th starting with a leadoff walk, followed by a fielding error, and another to load the bases with no one out. Jake Waugh, who pitched game 1, came to the mound again and walked a run in, but the next batter hit into the double play, scoring another. Then an unassisted play at 1st base ended the game. Final…. UNB 7, Dal 5.
English pitches 2 innings, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits, waked 2 and hit 1 batter.
Ryan MacDonald took the win pitching 4 innings, giving up 2 runs, I earned, on 4 hits, struck out 1 and walked 3.
Jake Waugh earned the save. 1 inning and 1 walk.
UNB will play for the Atlantic Conference Championship next Saturday October 14th against Cape Breton University. Games 1 and 2 will be in Sydney with Game 3 if necessary back in Fredericton On Sunday October 15th.
CBU advanced by beating ABU by scores of 3-0 and 2-1.
The winner will represent the Atlantic Conference at the CIBA-ABIC National Championships in Ottawa October 19th through the 26th.