SPORTS
Weekend Wildcats Sports Wrap Up
Wildcat Baseball Takes Series from George Mason
Davidson baseball picked up its second consecutive league series Sunday, after an eighth inning rally handed the ‘Cats a 9-5 victory over George Mason at Wilson Field.
Davidson improves to 20-11 overall and 6-3 in conference play, while the Patriots slip to 14-16 and 6-3. The Wildcats are just the third team in the Atlantic 10 to eclipse 20 victories this season.
Sophomore Brett Centracchio led the Wildcat offense with a 3-for-5 day at the plate, driving in three with a double. Juniors Justin Lebek and Eric Jones and senior Alec Acosta each added two hits apiece, as Lebek drove in two and doubled and Acosta scored twice with a double. Senior Andrew Born scored a game-high three runs.
Despite taking a no decision in the contest, Davidson starter Josh Hudson was solid through six innings, striking out six. Senior Connor Gordon picked up the victory, moving to 4-2 on the season.
The ‘Cats attacked early, scoring twice in the opening frame. Two pitches into the inning Born was hit-by-pitch, then moved to third on a double from Acosta. Centracchio brought them both home on a single he pushed through the right side.
Davidson added a run in each the second, third, and fourth innings to increase their lead after the Patriots put up two runs in the third. In the second, the ‘Cats used the same formula as before- sophomore Greg Lowe boarded via hit-by-pitch, then came home courtesy of Centracchio’s double.
Mason used two hits, a walk, and a sacrifice bunt to plate its two before the ‘Cats scored in the third after Lebek singled and Lowe brought him home. In the fourth, Born led off the inning with a single to right field, advanced to second on a Centracchio single to shallow center, stole third, then scored on Jones’ single to shallow left center.
The 5-2 lead remained until the eighth, when Mason tied the contest off four hits and a walk. The tie was short lived, as Davidson responded with impact, plating four runs in the bottom of the frame.
Sophomore Zach Nussbaum worked a seven-pitch walk, advanced to second after Born was beaned a second time, and scored as Acosta initiated a sacrifice bunt turned two base error. Born then crossed the plate after a single to left center from sophomore Ward Coleman, and then Coleman and Jones, who was intentionally walked, both came home on Lebek’s double to the right center wall.
The ‘Cats had defeated Patriots on Friday night 4-3, but suffered a 2-0 loss on Saturday.
Davidson will begin a four-game road trip Tuesday, traveling first to Durham, N.C., to take on Duke in the first of a two-game series before heading to Philadelphia to face league-foe Saint Joseph’s next weekend.
Saint Joseph’s Pulls Away In 2nd Half, Davidson Falls 14-9 in Lacrosse
A four-goal run by Saint Joseph’s in the middle of the second half proved to be the difference as Davidson was unable to recover in falling 14-9 Sunday afternoon in an Atlantic 10 women’s lacrosse game inside Richardson Stadium.
Three times throughout the game the Wildcats were within one goal, including at 8-7 with 16:52 left in the second half. But, the Hawks ran off a 4-0 run to make it 12-7 with 11:16 remaining and the ‘Cats were held to just two more goals the rest of the game.
Davidson fell to 7-5 overall and 2-2 in A-10 action, while the Hawks evened their season record to 6-6 and A-10 mark at 2-2. They won for the third straight time in the all-time series.
Five Hawks recorded multi-goal games, led by Rebecca Lane’s four goals. She added three assists for a game-high seven points. Hayley Sabol, Francesca Donato and Stephanie Kelly scored two goals apiece.
Lane tallied two of her goals in the first five minutes, while Sabol and Kelly had a goal each to give SJU an early 4-1 lead.
Sarah Kopp had her fourth hat trick of the season to pace the ‘Cats on offense. The junior captain also recorded four groundballs, three draw controls and a caused turnover.
Christine Molinari scored twice to give her 31 points on the season, second-best on the team. Shayne Antolini pushed her team-best tying assist total to 19 with a pair of helpers to go with a goal, while Jordan Wood, Sophia Sgroi and Shannon Blee each scored once.
Down 4-1, Antolini helped make it 4-3 with a goal and an assist. Then at 2:41 before the end of the first half, Wood netted her 31st goal of the season to get Davidson within one for a halftime score of 5-4.
Saint Joseph’s went up 8-5 with three goals in the first 10 minutes of the new half, but back-to-back scores from Kopp and Blee at 17:41 and 16:52 brought Davidson back within one at 8-7.
It was as close as the ‘Cats got after SJU went on its 4-0 run. The final two Davidson goals came off the stick of Molinari to make it 13-9 with just over seven minutes to go.
In goal, Rose Woolson finished with six saves and three groundballs, while Delaney Guhman came off the bench to earn a career-high five saves with two groundballs.
The Hawks won the battle in shots, 37-25, and scooped up 27 groundballs to Davidson’s 22. In the circle, SJU had a 13-10 edge on draw controls.
Behind Natalie Junior‘s season-best four caused turnovers, the Wildcats forced 10 overall for the game, while she tied Kopp for team high honors with four groundballs.
Davidson closes out its home schedule for the season with weekend games against Richmond and VCU, April 13-15.
Men’s Golf Co-Hosted the Irish Creek Intercollegiate
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – Alex Ross and Jack Lang each shot final rounds of two-over 73 to pace the Davidson golf team on the last day of the 2018 Cabarrus County Irish Creek Intercollegiate hosted by the Wildcats and cross-county rival Charlotte.
The two-day 54-hole event was played on the Par 71, 7,099-yard Club at Irish Creek layout.
Sophomore Michael Freeman, who posted a 75, eagled the Par 4 10th to highlight the Wildcats’ final round.
13th Davidson 305-306-297 | 908
T39th Alex Ross 75-75-73 | 223
44th Jack Lang 72-79-73 | 224
T58th Hoke Carlton 77-75-76 | 228
T75th Michael Freeman 83-78-75 | 236
82nd Nathan Tenpas 81-78-80 | 239
— Individual Competitors —
T63rd Mike Blasey 78-73-79 | 230
T75th Spencer Papciak 74-79-83 | 236
84th Kevin Carlock 80-83-78 | 241
Clemson (+7) led wire-to-wire and claimed the team title by two shots over North Florida (+9), which fired an impressive round of three-under 281 Sunday to climb the leaderboard.
The Tigers’ Turk Pettit (-4) maintained his overnight lead to capture the individual crown by three swings over Indiana’s Jake Brown (-1), who recorded the shot of the tournament, an ace on the Par 3 18th hole.
In addition to the co-hosts, the 15-team field will feature Akron, Clemson, Dartmouth, Dayton, Georgia Tech, Indiana, James Madison, Kansas, Middle Tennessee State, UNCG, North Florida, West Virginia and VCU.
Four of the participating teams are ranked in the Top-35, while eight competitors sit inside the Top-100 individually.
Up Next
Davidson will enjoy a three-week break before traveling to Orlando for the 2018 Atlantic 10 Championship April 27-29.