Baseball Walks Off With Sweep of Essex

ARNOLD, MD – The Anne Arundel Community College baseball team swept visiting CCBC Essex Sunday, winning the first game, 5-4, behind a complete-game effort from pitcher Jacob McDonald, and taking the second, 4-3, on a walk-off RBI by Reed Matkins.

Essex led game one, 2-1 after two innings before AACC plated three in the third on a pair of bases-loaded walks and a sacrifice fly from Matt Johnson. Essex got one back in the fourth, but an RBI single from Ethan Grieb in the fourth put AACC back ahead, 5-3. Essex added another run in the fifth and was poised to tie it up with a runner on third, but McDonald fanned the final batter to get out of the jam.

McDonald got a key pick off in the top of the sixth to erase a batter reaching via error, and again struck out the final batter before forcing the Knights down in order in the seventh to hold on for the win.

McDonald earned his first win of the season allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits in seven innings. He struck out four and walked two.

In game two, both teams scored single runs in the second, third, and sixth, battling back and forth until Matkins' second RBI of the day in the bottom of the seventh. Grieb led off the inning with a single up the middle, and advanced to second when Will Burchick reached on a fielder's choice. A wild pitch sent the runners to second and third before Johnson struck out. The Knights intentionally walked Brian Connolly to load the bases with one out. Matkins hit the ball to second base and beat out the throw to first to score Grieb for the winning run.

Andrew Leginze earned the win in two innings of relief work, striking out three and allowing one unearned run on one hit. Starter Brady MacDonald went five innings allowing two runs on four hits while striking out one and walking three.

The Riverhawks are back in action on Tuesday, March 29, in a rescheduled Region 20 doubleheader at Prince George's.