Baseball's Wild Seventh Salvages Split With Cecil

ARNOLD, Md. – The Anne Arundel Community College baseball team walked off with a second-game win to salvage a split with visiting Cecil College in NJCAA Region 20 divisional action Sunday at a blustery Skip Brown Field. After dropping the first game, 14-6, the Riverhawks scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh to defeat the Seahawks, 6-5.

Sam Ross went 6-for-8 on the day with two RBI and two stolen bases. Agustin Murillo drove in three runs on a 3-for-6 day. Caden Houck earned the win in the nightcap allowing four hits while striking out three in 3.2 innings of relief work.

Game One

Cecil opened the game with five runs on four hits and an error, but AACC chipped away at the lead, first scoring a run in the bottom half of the inning on an Evan Birch sac fly to center.

Murillo drove in two runs in the bottom of the second with a single through the left side, and advanced all the way to third on a Cecil throwing error. This set up Ross for an RBI single to left and brought the Riverhawks within one, 5-4.

AACC tied it up in the bottom of the third as JC Wilson, who led off the inning with a single, scored on a wild pitch.

Cecil regained the lead in the fifth with five runs on five hits, including a two-run triple and a two-run double. The Seahawks made it 11-6 in the sixth with a sac fly, and tacked on three runs in the seventh on four hits. Cecil had the bases loaded with two outs, but Riverhawks reliever Mason Barrall induced a high pop out to Holland to end the threat.

A squad of pinch hitters had a brief rally for AACC in the bottom of the seventh, scoring one run on a bases-loaded walk with two outs.

Dylan Remphrey had the start for the Riverhawks, striking out two and walking two while allowing five runs (three earned) on four hits in a brief appearance. Matt Donaldson shouldered the loss despite striking out six, allowing five runs on seven hits in 3.2 innings of work. Austin Ferreira allowed one run on one hit while walking three and striking out one in an inning of relief, and Barrall closed out the game allowing three runs on four hits in 1.1 innings.

Game Two

The Riverhawks had combined for just three hits prior to the seventh inning, when they doubled that total. Rylan Palle drew two walks in the inning – first as the leadoff batter and then again to send the winning run across the plate.

Wes Cullison sent Palle to second with a pinch-hit single up the middle, chasing out the Cecil starting pitcher, Trent Wolf. Seahawks' righty reliever Mike Preske surrendered a single to Ross to load the bases before Nicco Holland reached via infield error to send Palle across the plate. Evan Birch drove in the second run on a slow-rolling single to third that stayed just inside the foul line as the Seahawks' infielders attempted to will it to roll into foul territory. Russell Turner sent Ross across the plate with a fielder's choice to short to make it 5-3, Cecil.

Griffin Klein drew a pinch hit walk with the bases loaded to send the fourth run across, and Murillo got drilled on the elbow to earn the next RBI. Now tied at 5-5, with one out and the bases loaded, Palle drew the final walk and the celebration began.

Cecil got on the board in the third inning with an inside the park home run that bounced off the top of the center field fence and careened back into play. The Seahawks added four runs in the fourth, leading off with a solo home run to left before Houck came in with one out and runners on second and third. An infield fielder's choice sent one more run across, and a two-run single through the left side completed the Seahawks' inning.

Riverhawks starter Evan Birch went 3.1 innings, allowing five runs on six hits while striking out three. Houck moves to 1-1 on the year with the relief win.

Next up for AACC is a 12 p.m. NJCAA Region 20 divisional doubleheader at Dundalk on Friday, March 7. The Riverhawks then travel to Allegany for a 12 p.m. divisional doubleheader on Sunday, March 9.