Box Score

In a game plagued with Spalding errors (6), the Golden Eagle Nine still came out on top in a close game against the Beavers of Blackburn College winning 4-3 to sweep the series.

Senior Kyle Barbee (1-0) pitched all nine innings for the Golden Eagles giving up three runs, none of them being earned, on eleven hits and three strikeouts to give him his first win of the season.

SU was first to get on the board in the bottom of the third. Korie Vire led off the inning by reaching first on a hit-by-pitch. After stealing second base, Nathan Greenwell would bring Vire home on an RBI single. After a base on balls was given up to the next batter Ryan Selent, a costly passed ball would plate Greenwell while allowing Selent to advance to third. That would set the stage for the next batter of the inning, Kyle Whitlock, to hit an RBI single and score Selent from third, plating the third and final run of the inning to make the score 3-0 in Spalding's favor.

Blackburn would answer the following half inning by scoring a run of their own. A single by Mokriakow to left field, an error on the Aaron Moody groundball to the short stop, and another single through the right side by Doug Matas loaded the bases for the Beavers. An error by the second baseman Matt West would allow Makriakow to score Blackburn's first run of the game, and end the top of the fourth trailing the Golden Eagle Nine, 3-1.

After a scoreless fifth inning by both teams, the Beavers would strike again in the sixth. An error by the short stop Derek Ferch allowed the leadoff batter of the inning Jon Lowry to be standing on second with no outs. The second single of the game single by Matas advanced Lowry to second and an error by the center fielder allowed him to advance two more bases and score. A bunt single by Flowers placed runners on the corners, leading to a sacrifice fly by Jose Osorio that plated Matas to tie the game at 3-3.

The score would remain tied until the bottom of the eighth with Golden Eagles up to bat. After a pair of singles through the left side by Whitlock and West, Coach Sheetinger would decide to play small ball. A sacrifice bunt by Ferch would advance the runners to second and third, allowing Ryan Mosby to hit a deep fly ball to center that scored Whitlock on the tag-up play and make the score 4-3 heading into the ninth.

A solid pitching performance by starter Barbee would keep the Blackburn bats at bay in the ninth and give the Golden Eagle Nine the 4-3 victory and the series sweep over the Beavers.

Spalding will take on the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse Tuesday, March 16 in Tucson, Arizona at 11:00 a.m. EST. The game will be broadcast live on BBSN.