Thursday, May 23
The Bronx, N.Y.
5 p.m.
Davidson College
28-21
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#6 Rhode Island
24-29
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DAVIDSON
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RHODE ISLAND
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Photo by: Atlantic 10 Conference
Wildcats Respond, Advance to Friday
5/23/2019 11:27:00 PM | Baseball
Tournament Central
DavidsonPhotos.com
THE BRONX, N.Y. — The Davidson Wildcats will be hanging around the Atlantic 10 baseball championships a little longer.
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Seeded second in the seven-team event, Davidson advanced to Friday's portion of the bracket with a 4-2 win over No. 6 Rhode Island Thursday night at Fordham's Houlihan Park.
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The Wildcats (28-21) will face No. 5 Richmond (28-24-1) in an elimination game at 3:30 p.m. Friday.
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Coach Rucker Taylor said his team responded well against Rhode Island, after falling to No. 3 Dayton 7-3 earlier in the day.
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"A lot of guys played well, and we played much better than in the morning," said Taylor. "It was a long day, and it would have been easy for us to roll over tonight. I'm proud we stuck together."
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Against the Rams, Davidson built a 4-0 lead early before having to hold off a few late-inning threats. In the second inning, Brett Centracchio drove in a run on an RBI-single before Trevor Candelaria drove in two more with a bases-loaded single to left center.
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Then, in the third inning, shortstop Max Bazin hit a solo home run to right field to make it 4-0. It was Bazin's first home run of the year and the fourth of his career.
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"It definitely felt a little … foreign, I guess, because it's my first bomb of the season," Bazin said afterward. "It felt good off the bat. I knew I squared it up, and rounding first base, I saw that it kept going."
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Starting pitcher Josh Hudson cruised through six innings, surrendering just one hit and retiring 11 of 13 batters in one stretch. The senior righthander said he was motivated to lead the Wildcats to another win.
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"I just didn't want to go home yet," he said. "I had a lot of adrenaline in the first inning, and I had to settle in later."
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In the seventh, with Davidson leading 4-2, the Rams earned three hits against Hudson, pushed a run across and loaded the bases with two outs. The Wildcats called on reliever Dan Spear to work out of the jam, and he answered the call by forcing an inning-ending flyout to left.
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Freshman closer Gabe Levy recorded the final five outs to earn his 10th save. He entered with two runners on and one out in the eighth and struck out Josh Brodeur for the second out and forced a chopper to third baseman Eric Jones for the third. In the ninth, he struck out two batters after hitting leadoff hitter Greg Cavaliere, and Kevin Heiss flied out to Justin Lebek in deep right to end the game and a long day at the ballpark.
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"The season really prepared us for this moment," said Bazin. "A lot of guys stepped up when they needed to."
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Up Next
Davidson and Richmond have not met this year. The teams' scheduled series, set for Wilson Field March 8-10, was wiped out by rain. The Spiders reached Friday's matchup thanks to a 6-2 win over top-seeded VCU in the final game of Thursday's slate.
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DavidsonPhotos.com
THE BRONX, N.Y. — The Davidson Wildcats will be hanging around the Atlantic 10 baseball championships a little longer.
Â
Seeded second in the seven-team event, Davidson advanced to Friday's portion of the bracket with a 4-2 win over No. 6 Rhode Island Thursday night at Fordham's Houlihan Park.
Â
The Wildcats (28-21) will face No. 5 Richmond (28-24-1) in an elimination game at 3:30 p.m. Friday.
Â
Coach Rucker Taylor said his team responded well against Rhode Island, after falling to No. 3 Dayton 7-3 earlier in the day.
Â
"A lot of guys played well, and we played much better than in the morning," said Taylor. "It was a long day, and it would have been easy for us to roll over tonight. I'm proud we stuck together."
Â
Against the Rams, Davidson built a 4-0 lead early before having to hold off a few late-inning threats. In the second inning, Brett Centracchio drove in a run on an RBI-single before Trevor Candelaria drove in two more with a bases-loaded single to left center.
Â
Then, in the third inning, shortstop Max Bazin hit a solo home run to right field to make it 4-0. It was Bazin's first home run of the year and the fourth of his career.
Â
"It definitely felt a little … foreign, I guess, because it's my first bomb of the season," Bazin said afterward. "It felt good off the bat. I knew I squared it up, and rounding first base, I saw that it kept going."
Â
Starting pitcher Josh Hudson cruised through six innings, surrendering just one hit and retiring 11 of 13 batters in one stretch. The senior righthander said he was motivated to lead the Wildcats to another win.
Â
"I just didn't want to go home yet," he said. "I had a lot of adrenaline in the first inning, and I had to settle in later."
Â
In the seventh, with Davidson leading 4-2, the Rams earned three hits against Hudson, pushed a run across and loaded the bases with two outs. The Wildcats called on reliever Dan Spear to work out of the jam, and he answered the call by forcing an inning-ending flyout to left.
Â
Freshman closer Gabe Levy recorded the final five outs to earn his 10th save. He entered with two runners on and one out in the eighth and struck out Josh Brodeur for the second out and forced a chopper to third baseman Eric Jones for the third. In the ninth, he struck out two batters after hitting leadoff hitter Greg Cavaliere, and Kevin Heiss flied out to Justin Lebek in deep right to end the game and a long day at the ballpark.
Â
"The season really prepared us for this moment," said Bazin. "A lot of guys stepped up when they needed to."
Â
Up Next
Davidson and Richmond have not met this year. The teams' scheduled series, set for Wilson Field March 8-10, was wiped out by rain. The Spiders reached Friday's matchup thanks to a 6-2 win over top-seeded VCU in the final game of Thursday's slate.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hudson, Josh (5-2)
L: WALKER, Jake (2-1)
S: Levy, Gabe (10)
Batting:
HR: Bazin, Max 1
RBI: Candelaria, Trevor 2 ; Bazin, Max 1 ; Centracchio, Brett 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Fontes, Ruben 1 ; Bazin, Max 2 ; Centracchio, Brett 1
CS: Mardiney, Alex 1
HBP: Jones, Eric 1 ; Nussbaum, Zach 1
Batting:
2B: McMANUS, Brett 1
RBI: CAVALIERE, Greg 1
Base Running:
RUNS: BRODEUR, Josh 1 ; McMANUS, Brett 1
HBP: CAVALIERE, Greg 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
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