Crusaders Defeat Mechanics with Walk-off Win

Front Royal, VA- Crusader baseball took on the Williamson Free Trade Mechanics in a double header on Saturday, 4/3. The Crusaders came away with 1-run victories in both games, game 1 being 7-6 and game 2 ended 9-8.

Game 1: The Crusaders jumped out to an early lead, the offense lighting up Mechanics pitching for 4-runs in the bottom of the first. Frank Scarchilli (Senior/ Sterling Heights, MI) highlighting the inning with a 2-run bomb to dead center. However, after taking the early lead the Crusaders allowed the Mechanics to creep back into the game. Williamson scored 6-runs over the next four innings. The Crusaders put up a 2-run bottom of the fourth giving them some much needed insurance runs. In the fifth, Scarchilli came in, in relief of Crusader's starting pitcher Kevin Dow (Senior/ Manassas, VA). Scarchilli went on to pitch a scoreless sixth and seventh to earn the save, as the Crusaders picked up the 7-6 win.

Game 2: The second game started much like game 1, with the Crusaders jumping out to a big lead early. After the first inning the score was 3-0 in favor of the Crusaders. The lead got even larger and after three innings the Crusaders were up 7-1. However, the Mechanics came alive in the last three innings, as they scored 2 in the fifth, 1 in the sixth and 4 in the seventh to take an 8-7 lead. The Crusaders came roaring back in the bottom of the seventh, as the heart of the lineup picked up four consecutive hits for the walk-off win. Hugh Wingate (Sophomore/ Atlanta, GA) delivered the walk-off single scoring Scarchilli from second base for the 9-8 win.

The Crusaders two wins were led by several players in particular:

Thomas Dunphy (Senior/ Four Oaks, NC) went 3-7 with 3-runs.

Scarchilli went 2-5 with 3 RBIs, 2-runs and 2 walks

Thomas Sullivan (Sophomore/ Omoha, NE) went 4-5 with 3 RMIs, 3-runs, 3 walks and an HMP

Wingate went 5-8 with 5 RBIs and a run

John Skuba (Freshman/ Hazleton, PA) recorded 9 strikeouts over 6 innings.

Up Next: The Crusaders travel away to take on Allegany College of MD on Thursday, 4/7.