SPORTS

 

DAVIDSON — The Davidson baseball team took both games of Saturday’s doubleheader and completed its series sweep of No. 22 Bryant at Wilson Field.

With Saturday’s 11-0 and 9-2 wins, the Wildcats improved to 6-1, with a six-game winning streak, and with three of those wins coming against a Bulldogs team that swept nationally ranked East Carolina a week ago.

“We challenged our starting pitchers to get a little deeper this weekend, and I think they met and exceeded that challenge,” said Davidson coach Rucker Taylor. “Those guys were excellent, and the pen attacked as well.

“We played defense at a high level most of the weekend. The combination of pitching and defense put us in a good spot. Bryant is a very good team and was playing with a lot of momentum. We had some great offensive efforts today to extend things.”

Friday’s win was Davidson’s first over a ranked team at home since an 8-3 win over No. 21 College of Charleston on March 12, 2011. The series win is the first against a ranked opponent at home since the Wildcats took two of three from No. 18 The Citadel in 2001. It’s also Davidson’s first such sweep in the modern era.

“To play well against a Top 25 team is encouraging, and hopefully we can build off of that going into practice this week,” said Taylor.

Game 1
Right-hander Blake Hely set the tone on the mound, and Davidson’s bats caused plenty of damage in an 11-0 win early in the afternoon.

A night after Nolan DeVos struck out 13, Hely sat down a career-best 14 on strikes over eight innings, while allowing just two hits.

He had more than enough run support, beginning with Ryan Wilson’s RBI-single in the first inning. Wilson went on to a 4-for-5 day, including a home run and five RBIs, while Michael Carico doubled twice in his own 4-for-5 outing. Parker Nolan added double and triple, and Trevor Candelaria had two hits, including a double, and two RBIs.

The Wildcats scored four runs in the sixth off doubles from Carico and Candelaria and Wilson’s two-run homer to left-center. Six runs came in the eighth, as Anthony Mase was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, Nolan drew a bases-loaded walk and Carico, Candelaria and Wilson drove in runs with singles.

Brian Craven pitched the ninth, striking out one.

Game 2
The Wildcats built a 5-0 lead through three innings and were in control from there in the 9-2 nightcap.

Most of the Wildcat runs were generated by six doubles, including two-RBI doubles by Jacob Hinderleider in the third and Garrett Browder in the fifth. Wilson, Jake Wilhoit and Carico also drove in runs with doubles, and a Carico RBI-single in the seventh made it 9-2.

Carico, who hit 8-for-12 with four doubles and four RBIs over the weekend, has now doubled in six straight games.

On the mound, Ryan Feczko (4.2 IP, 5 Ks, 3 hits, 1 ER), Ryan Kutz (3.1 IP, 1 hit, 2 Ks) and Bennett Flynn (1.0 IP, 1 hit, 2 Ks) kept the Bulldogs at bay.

Browder finished with three hits, joining Carico, Wilhoit and John Hosmer with multiple hits.

Up Next
Davidson continues its homestand with a 6 p.m. game against N.C. A&T on Wednesday, March 2.