Davidson College
8-2
Lafayette
3-6
'Cats Erupt for 16-0 Win Over Lafayette
2/29/2020 5:45:00 PM | Baseball
DAVIDSON — Davidson's offense came alive, and Blake Hely delivered a seven-inning gem on the mound as the Wildcats cruised to a season-best 16-0 win over Lafayette Saturday afternoon at Wilson Field.
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The Wildcats (8-2) built an 8-0 lead in the first three innings and pushed it to 13-0 after four. Five Davidson players had multiple hits, and Parker Nolan and Matt Frey hit two-run home runs.
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In the starting lineup for the first time, freshman outfielder Henry Koehler delivered a 4-for-5 day with a double and a triple and scored four times, while Nolan and Frey drove in four runs apiece.
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"It just seemed like it was contagious today," said Nolan, who homered for the second time in 24 hours.
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Nolan plated the first runs of the day with a first-inning triple to right-center, which scored Frey and Ruben Fontes, who had set the table with a single and double, respectively. Nolan scored moments later on a Brett Centracchio groundout, and the Wildcats were off and rolling.
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Nolan homered in the second, two batters after an RBI-single from Frey. Frey went deep for the first time this season in the five-run fourth, after Koehler drove in two with a triple to right.
The Wildcats scored in a variety of ways throughout, as Koehler and Garrett Browder scored on wild pitches, John Hosmer and Matthew Gravely drove in runs on late-inning groundouts and Frey plated a run with bases-loaded walk in the third, just before a Fontes sacrifice fly.
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Meanwhile, Hely quieted the Lafayette bats. He struck out a career-best 10 in seven innings, while allowing just two hits.
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"He was awesome today," said Nolan. "In center field, I can stand there and see all his pitches. All his fastballs were painted, and his sliders were coming out of the same tunnel."
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A sophomore right-hander, Hely made his first career start at No. 1 Vanderbilt last March against a Commodores team that went on to win the national title. In all, he threw 17 innings in 11 appearances and made four starts as a freshman.
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Now three weekends in as the Wildcats' Saturday starter, he's 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA in 19 innings.
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"Coming off last year, I had a lot of learn from, having those experiences," said Hely. "I think that's really propelled me this year."
Eddie Shores, Kieran Casey and Charlie King recorded the final six outs, with King getting the final two with the bases loaded in the ninth.
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Up Next
The series finale is set for 1 p.m. Sunday at Wilson Field.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hely, Blake (2-0)
L: Kyle Subers (0-2)
Base Running:
HBP: Zach Savage 1 ; Jack Amendola 1
Batting:
2B: Fontes, Ruben 2 ; Centracchio, Brett 1 ; Koehler, Henry 1
3B: Nolan, Parker 1 ; Koehler, Henry 1
HR: Frey, Matt 1 ; Nolan, Parker 1
RBI: Frey, Matt 4 ; Gravely, Matthew 1 ; Fontes, Ruben 1 ; Nolan, Parker 4 ; Centracchio, Brett 1 ; Hosmer, John 1 ; Koehler, Henry 2
SH: Hinderleider, Jacob 1
SF: Fontes, Ruben 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Frey, Matt 2 ; Fontes, Ruben 3 ; Nolan, Parker 2 ; Fedje-Johnson, Alex 1 ; Lowe, Greg 2 ; Browder, Garrett 1 ; Koehler, Henry 4 ; Hinderleider, Jacob 1
SB: Centracchio, Brett 1 ; Lowe, Greg 1 ; Hinderleider, Jacob 1
CS: Frey, Matt 1
HBP: Candelaria, Trevor 1 ; Fedje-Johnson, Alex 1
