With snow still covering much of the northeast, we traveled to UNC Wilmington to participate in The Hughes Brothers Challenge. Our first game against host UNC Wilmington, sophomore Dan Zlotnick threw the ball well going 6.2 innings strong while only allowing 2 runs. In a close 3-2 ball game, we tacked on some insurance runs in the top of the eighth extending our lead to 5. However, Wilmington would respond with two runs in the bottom of the eighth making it a 5-4 game. With one out in the ninth and the tying run on second senior left fielder Ricky Pacione stepped up and had the defensive play of the game. As a ground ball finds its way through the 6-hole and the tying run rounding third and coming to the plate, Pacione comes up throwing and throws out the tying run in a bang-bang play at the plate. Our dugout erupts with excitement! Fifth year senior Eric Alessio sacked up and struck out the next batter looking to end the game.
Our next opponent that weekend was West Virginia University. West Virginia capitalized on our mistakes quickly in the top of the first by putting up four runs. But we came right back with three runs in the bottom of the first. It was a back and forth battle all day but the bullpen solidified the win in the end. Sean McKeown, Jake Rifken, and Kevin McCarthy gave up zero runs with no hits in the last four innings. The bullpen gave the Red Fox offense a chance to win the game and they did just that. They put up the final two runs in the sixth which would be the nails in the coffin for WVU as the Red Foxes walked away with a 9-8 victory.
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