Davidson College
11-6, 0
La Salle
12-9, 0
Davidson Opens A-10 Play with 11-3 Win
3/22/2019 10:51:00 PM | Baseball
Five Davidson players had multiple hits, and six drove in runs as the Wildcats rolled by La Salle 11-3 Friday night at Wilson Field in the Atlantic 10 Conference opener for both teams.
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The win is the fifth straight for Davidson, which improved to 11-6.
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Leadoff hitter Alex Mardiney drove in a team-high three runs and continued his recent offensive surge with two hits, including a double in the bottom of the first that turned into the first run of the night when Eric Jones drove him in on a sacrifice fly.
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The last five games, Mardiney is hitting .588 (10-for-17) and has raised his season average to .321.
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"I've just been more aggressive," said Mardiney. "I'm up there and ready to hit. I love hitting leadoff. I like going out there and setting the table."
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La Salle (12-9, 0-1) took its only lead of the night when Nick O'Day drove in two runs with a single in the second. The Wildcats answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning as Brett Centracchio and Alex Fedje-Johnson drove in runs with singles, and Mardiney brought another around on a groundout.
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Trevor Candelaria and Matt Frey singled in runs in the fourth to make it 6-2, and Frey's sacrifice fly in the sixth made it 7-2. Tommy Toal's RBI-single in the seventh gave the Explorers their third run of the night before the Wildcats responded with four runs in the bottom half. Centracchio drove in a run with Davidson's second triple of the night — Justin Lebek led off the second with one. Fedje-Johnson had an RBI-single, and Mardiney drove in two with a single to center.
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Meanwhile, Davidson right-hander Casey Sutherland kept the Explorers at bay. He threw seven innings, struck out six and allowed six hits and three earned runs to get his third win in as many decisions.
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"He gives you a chance to win every time he's out there," said Mardiney.
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Alex Fenton pitched the eighth and ninth innings and struck out two.
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Up Next
The Wildcats and Explorers meet again Saturday, with first pitch set for 2 p.m. at Wilson Field.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Sutherland, Casey (3-0)
L: HOLT, Matt (1-1)
Batting:
2B: LEVINS, Tatem 1
RBI: O'DAY, Nick 2 ; TOAL, Tommy 1
Base Running:
RUNS: MCGOWAN, Kevin 1 ; LEVINS, Tatem 1 ; CUCINOTTA, Jack 1
SB: SORRELS, Peyton 1
Batting:
2B: Mardiney, Alex 1 ; Candelaria, Trevor 1
3B: Lebek, Justin 1 ; Centracchio, Brett 1
RBI: Mardiney, Alex 3 ; Jones, Eric 1 ; Frey, Matt 2 ; Centracchio, Brett 2 ; Fedje-Johnson, Alex 2 ; Candelaria, Trevor 1
SF: Jones, Eric 1 ; Frey, Matt 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Mardiney, Alex 1 ; Lebek, Justin 2 ; Centracchio, Brett 2 ; Bazin, Max 1 ; Fedje-Johnson, Alex 2 ; Candelaria, Trevor 3
SB: Bazin, Max 1
HBP: Hosmer, John 1 ; Bazin, Max 1 ; Candelaria, Trevor 1
