Box Score
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Sophomore second baseman Mike Backus (Piscataway, N.J./Immaculata) went 2-4 with an RBI double and a triple and scored two runs, including the game-winner, as the Gettysburg College baseball team plated three in the seventh to erase a two run deficit and hang on for a 7-6 victory over McDaniel College in a Centennial Conference makeup game Sunday afternoon at a cloudy and cool Kirchhoff field. It was Gettysburg's sixth one-run win of the year—a total greater than the two previous years combined.
Freshman hurler Matt Karis (Southborough, Mass./Noble & Greenough School) picked up the win in relief, working four innings while allowing three hits, no walks and two unearned runs. Others aiding the Bullets' cause offensively included sophomore Kevin Langhauser (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) who picked up two hits to raise his average to .415 on the season. He also stole a base, improving to an impressive 14-15 on the year, and scored a run. Freshman shortstop Chris Simard (Lexington, Mass./Belmont Hill) added two hits, a run scored, and a sacrifice fly.
The Green Terror (5-15, 2-6 CC) were led by junior leftfielder Russell Coover, who went 3-5 with an RBI and two runs scored from the cleanup spot, and freshman Matt Graziano, who went 2-4 with a pair of RBIs.
Neither team mounted a significant threat through the first inning and a half, but Gettysburg took advantage of two McDaniel errors in the bottom of the second to put up a crocked number early. Senior third baseman Dave Olson (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) got it started as he reached with one out when the shortstop's throw sailed wide of first. A pair of juniors, leftfielder Scott Vladyka (Stanhope, N.J./Lenape Valley Regional) and rightfielder Andrew Burton (McLean, Va./McLean), both followed with singles to right, loading the bases. Sophomore catcher Craig Barrows (Whippany, N.J./Whippany Park) was then hit by a pitch to bring home Gettysburg's first run. Senior centerfielder Sean McGee (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck) and Simard both followed with sacrifice flies plating Vladyka and Burton to give the Bullets a 3-0 lead.
McDaniel was able to get one back in the top of third, but it could have been more if not for a nice play by Burton. After two were out, the top of the Green Terror lineup put together three straight singles, scoring one run. On the third hit, however, McDaniel attempted to score a second run, but Burton came up firing from right to gun down Harold Baines Jr. at the plate and end the threat. Gettysburg got that one run right back, though, as Backus tripled to lead off the bottom of the third and senior tri-captain Matt Stillitano (Ewing, N.J./The Hun School of Princeton) followed with a single down the left field line, giving the hosts a 4-1 edge after three.
McDaniel cut into Gettysburg's lead in the fifth with an RBI groundout before mounting a bigger threat in the sixth. The Green Terror began the inning with a double followed by three singles, which pushed across two runs and knocked Gettysburg starter Chris Liegel (Oak Ridge, N.J./Pope John XXIII) from the game. Liegel finished the game with five inning pitched while allowing four earned runs.
Karis came into a tough spot – a tie game (4-4) with runners on the corners and still no one out. He responded by inducing a weakly hit chopper to the left side of the mound that he fielded and threw home for Barrows to tag out the oncoming runner for the first out. He then retired the next two hitters on groundouts to second and short, respectively, and managed the escape the sixth with the game still tied.
After Gettysburg went down in order in their half of the sixth, McDaniel used two Bullet defensive miscues and two singles to score two runs, giving the Green Terror their first lead of the game at 6-4.
The Bullets responded quickly, though, as Simard and Langhauser led off the seventh with singles. Backus followed by doubling to deep straightway center, scoring Simard. Stillitano then grounded to short, which was good enough to plate Langhauser as McDaniel was playing their infield at normal depth with no outs. Backus advanced to third when Olson flied to center and then scored what proved to be the winning run on a passed ball with two outs.
McDaniel led off the eighth with a single and then attempted to lay down a sacrifice to advance the runner into scoring position. However, Karis fielded the bunt quickly, wheeled, and fired to Simard at second to force the lead runner. After a steal, the Green Terror had the tying run in scoring position, but Karis got a strikeout and flyout to the end the threat. He picked up where he left off in the ninth by retiring McDaniel's two, three and four hitters in order, getting Coover to pop to Backus to end the game.
McDaniel starter Chase Wolf went all eight frames allowing 12 hits and seven runs, but only three earned runs. In a testament to both teams' control, the game did not feature a base on balls for either side. For Gettysburg, this was the first game since March 30, 2004 in which neither team was able to work a walk; incidentally, that contest was also played against the Green Terror. In three of their last four games, the Bullet pitching staff has surrendered zero walks and they have allowed exactly eight walks in their eight conference games thus far.
With the win, Gettysburg remains tied for second in the conference standings with rival Franklin & Marshall at 6-2, a half game back of conference leader and nationally-ranked Johns Hopkins. The Bullets will have a chance to take on the Blue Jays as they play a home-and-home series against them beginning with Tuesday afternoon's tilt at Kirchhoff Field at 3:30 p.m.
