TIGERS ONE WIN SHY OF WORLD SERIES AFTER 6-2 VICTORY OVER FERRUM

Game Box Score

SALISBURY, MD—Hampden-Sydney’s baseball team advanced into the championship game of the 2005 NCAA Division III Baseball South Regional Tournament thanks to a 6-2 victory over Ferrum College Saturday afternoon at Arthur Perdue Stadium.  With the win, the Tigers improve to 26-13 overall, while Ferrum drops to 22-13-1 overall and will play the winner of the Mary Washington/Salisbury game at 7 pm Saturday night.

Tiger junior pitcher Jayson Hanky (Richmond, VA/Benedictine) picked up his fourth win of the season as he worked six and one third innings and allowed just one run and five hits while striking out three and walking two.  Sophomore Larry Greene (Alexandria, VA/West Potomac) worked the final two and two-third innings and allowed just two hits and one run en route to picking up his first career save.

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the sixth when Ferrum’s Quincy Davenport was driven in by a Brett Thomas triple to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.  The Tigers answered with a three-run seventh in which the first five batters in the inning recorded singles, including John Apperson (Lynchburg, VA/Heritage) who drove home Luke Brankley (Onancock, VA/Nandua) before Chris Padgett (Williamsburg, VA/Jamestown) laced a two-run single up the middle to plate Jay Lilley (Chesapeake, VA/Western Branch) and Apperson.

Ferrum loaded the bases in its half of the seventh with just one out, but Larry Greene came on and struck out Quincy Davenport looking before coaxing a flyout by Brent Sowers to get the Tigers out of the jam.  The Tigers then came back with three more runs in the top of the eighth after Luke Brankley and Jay Lilley each reached on singles, with Lilley driving in Brankley, while John Apperson ripped his second triple of the game to plate Brankley and later scored a run of his own on Chris Padgett’s sacrifice fly.

The Panthers managed a final run in the bottom of the ninth after Jesse Fuller tripled and then scored on a Tiger error, making the final margin four runs at 6-2.

Ferrum pitcher Jesse Bowles took the loss after giving up three runs on nine hits through six innings of action.  Randall Stevens gave up four hits and three runs in two innings of relief work while B.J. Durham worked the ninth and did not allow a hit or run.

Hampden-Sydney, which extended its record for victories in a season to 26 and moved its season-high winning streak to eight games, will be looking for its first-ever Division III College World Series appearance with a victory Saturday at 12 pm in the regional final.

 -www.hsc.edu/athletics-