BUENA VISTA, Va. – In the final series of the 2023 season, the Southern Virginia University baseball team (13-24, 5-16) took one game against third-seeded William Peace (22-18, 13-8).
After weather delayed the first game, the series opened up with a doubleheader on Saturday that featured 12 home runs and extra innings. Senior
Will Parker tallied the first homer, getting the Knights on the board in the first inning of game one. The lead would be stretched to two in the following inning after
Mitch Smith, who got on base with a single to center field, scored on a wild pitch.
The Pacers quickly bounced back, adding three runs in the top of the third. Sean Roseborough led off the inning with a solo home run to get his team on the board and gain some momentum. Following two quick outs, Nick Tyler singled down the left field line and would score after Brett Kemp registered the second Pacer home run of the inning, taking a 3-2 lead.
In its portion of the third inning, Southern Virginia would square the contest at three after
Nick Daynes tallied his fourth homer of the season. Peace, however, would add three runs for the second straight inning to retake the lead. Nick Tubolino gave his team a one-run advantage following a two-run home run. Turner would add to the lead with another hit, this time past the wall for the game's sixth homer.
After failing to score in the fourth and fifth innings, the Knights would cut into the deficit in the bottom of the sixth, with Smith adding a home run, making the score 6-5. He would add yet another two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to give the Knights a 7-6 lead. In his first full game of the season,
Nate McCallum allowed just one hit in the final inning to register his fourth win.
Game number two saw similar intensity, with the teams going back and forth for most of the contest. The Pacers got on the board first, with Ian Turner smacking the ball over the centerfield wall. The Knights, however, would add a home run of their own to take their first lead of the contest, with
Marcelino Leonardo Jr. smashing the ball past the fence for a three-run homer.
Following two full scoreless innings, William Peace cut into the deficit after Jake Dacunto recorded a groundout RBI with Tyler reaching the plate to make the score 3-2. It didn't take long for Southern Virginia to restore its two-run advantage, with
Jake Watson registering his first home run of the campaign on his senior day. Peace would not go away, tallying two runs in the top of the seventh to knot the game at four.
After three quick outs in the top of the ninth, the Knights were in a great position to win after
Robert Stempin led off the bottom of the inning with a single through the left side.
Nathan Wayne, who would come in to pinch run for Stempin, would advance to second after a sacrifice bunt by McCallum. Parker was then intentionally walked, and following a pop-up, Leonardo Jr. stepped up to the plate. The Dominican Republic native got a hold of the ball, sending it to left field, but a spectacular grab over the wall by the left fielder tallied the third out to send the game to extra innings.
Neither team could capitalize with runners on the bags in the tenth and eleventh innings, but the Pacers would take the lead after Kemp recorded his second homer of the afternoon. With two runners on base, the Knights could not connect on any pitches and would fall after 12 innings, 5-4.
The teams would conclude the three-game series on a windy Monday afternoon. William Peace—needing the win to secure the third seed in the USA South conference tournament—took an early lead and never looked back, tallying an impressive 27 hits en route to a 14-3 victory.
After just missing out on post-season play, Southern Virginia will now prepare for the 2024 campaign, which opens in February.
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