Wilmington University are 2018 CACC Champs!
Wilmington University once again are the kings of the CACC with the baseball team sweeping Felician in a must two win game in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament Championship .
Wilmington won the first game against Felician 2-0 and that forced the deciding game for the CACC title which Wildcats were victorious in that as well with a score of 8-3.
This is Wilmington’s baseball seventh time to take the CACC title. The program also was the top cat in the CACC in 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2015.
The first game of the Championship had a little drama in it and well in the biggest game of the season that is expected.
Before the extra innings drama happened in the first game, both pitching staffs had a excellent game as they shut down each team’s line up.
Wilmington’s starting pitcher Chuck Delagol went 8 innings, 4 hits, 2 BBs and 4 Ks.
Then Justin Mears relieved Delagol and went 2 innings and 1 hit.
Felician’s pitching staff did just as well as their starting pitcher Jacob Nappi went 5 innings, 5 hits, 2 BBs & 6 Ks
Then Kyle O’Neill relieved Nappi and went 1.2 innings, 1 hit, 1 BB and 1 K.
Also, there was Michael Gutierrez who came in for O’Neill and went 3 innings, 3 hits, 2 runs, 2 ER, 1 BB and 1 K.
As you can see there was not many runs scored in the first game. In fact, the first run of the game was not scored until the 10th inning.
The two winning runs of the game happened in the top of 10th inning when Wilmington’s DH Brooks Ryan tripled to right field which scored infielder Nick Grant and shortstop Christian Adorno.
Wilmington carried the momentum from the first game to the winner take all game which the team’s offense came out swinging.
The scoring started for the Wildcats in the top of the third inning where first baseman Kendall Small singled to left field which scored second baseman Max Carney and right fielder Kyle Fries. Small’s single put Wilmington up 2-0 over Felician in the third inning.
Then in the 6th inning the offense really ramped up for Wilmington as the team scored five runs in the inning.
The first of five runs started when Fries walked which scored center fielder Dakota Graham.
The next man to score was Adorno who doubled to right field which scored Fries, third baseman Brett Nowell and DH Nick Macey.
Then Carney singled to third base by bunt which scored Adorno and made the score 7-0 Wilmington heading into the bottom of sixth inning.
Felician was not going out without a fight as they scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to decrease Wilmington’s lead 7-2.
After seven innings, that is where Wilmington’s starting pitcher Nick Grant would end the game after a dominating performance.
Grant’s stats were 7 innings pitched, 5 hits, 2 runs, 1 BB and 6 Ks.
Zach Frederick came into relieve Grant and he went 1 inning, 2 hits, 1 run and 1 ER.
In the eighth inning, Felician would add one more run to the scoreboard and decrease Wilmington’s lead to 7-3.
Wilmington would increase their lead in the ninth with catcher Frank Nigro singling to the pitcher by bunt which scored Carney and made it 8-3.
It was up to Wilmington pitcher Matt Frost to close the game for the Wildcats for the CACC title and he did just that as he went 1 inning and had 1 K.
After the game the CACC All-Tournament Team was announced and Wilmington’s Brad Scull, Chuck Delagol, Kendall Small, Dakota Graham, and Nick Grant were all named to the team.
Also, Wilmington’s Nick Grant was named MVP of the CACC Tournament.
Wilmington’s baseball team are CACC Champs but they are not finished just yet as it was announced on Sunday night the team will play St. Thomas Aquinas in the first round of the NCAA East Regional Tournament.
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