SPORTS
Baseball Tops Presbyterian, Wins Fourth Straight
Wildcats defeated the Blue Hose Tuesday night at Wilson Field. [this photo from this past weekend]
Davidson plated two runs early, and five Wildcat pitchers kept Presbyterian at bay throughout a 4-1 win at Wilson Field Tuesday night.
It’s the Wildcats’ fourth straight victory, coming on the heels of a series sweep against North Alabama.
Davidson (10-6) took a 2-0 lead with two outs in the second inning after Max Bazin doubled and Alex Fedje-Johnson reached on an error. Trevor Candelaria’s single to left brought around Bazin, and Fedje-Johnson scored on Alex Mardiney’s double to left.
Matt Frey led off the third with a single to center, moved to third on Justin Lebek’s double and scored on Brett Centracchio’s sac fly to center to make it 3-0.
A Candelaria double to left scored Bazin in the sixth.
Candelaria, who had a highlight reel catch in center field Sunday against North Alabama, is hitting .357 (5-for-14) the last four games.
“I feel confident at the plate,” he said. “I’m just trying to compete and do everything I can to help the team.”
The Davidson pitching staff allowed little from the Blue Hose (8-13).
Freshman right-hander Blake Hely pitched the first two innings, allowing two hits. Dan Spear threw the next three, giving up three hits and striking out three. Austin Leonard and Pete Bloomberg each threw an inning of one-hit ball — with Bloomberg striking out three — before Gabe Levy closed it out and earned his third save.
“They did what good pitchers do,” said second baseman Frey. “They were great, all of them, and that’s so much fun to play behind.”
Levy worked out of a jam in the eighth after Rob Greco reached on an error and Jonathan White doubled. He struck out the next two batters before Tannor Byrd tagged a hard-hit liner to shortstop Max Bazin, who knocked it down, picked it up and threw to first just in time to end the threat.
“That was huge,” said Candelaria. “He made the play and got us out of the inning.”
“I was fired up,” said Levy.
Levy struck out the side in the ninth to end it.
Up Next
Davidson will host La Salle in Atlantic 10 Conference play this weekend, with Friday’s first pitch set for 6 p.m. at Wilson Field.