March 12, 2008

Box Score

LOUISA, Ky. - Marshall University senior catcher Tommy Johnson delivered a two-run walk-off home run to right field in the ninth inning of game two of Wednesday afternoon's doubleheader to help lift the Herd to a 12-10 win and series sweep of Valparaiso in Louisa, Ky.

With the pair of victories, Marshall increases its winning streak to three games and improves to 5-6 overall, while Valparaiso falls to 2-12 on the season.

Marshall won game one 12-6 (seven innings) and game two 12-10 in nine innings.

Trailing 9-5 in the bottom of the seventh inning of game two, Marshall exploded for four runs to send the game to extra-innings. Junior shortstop Adam Yeager doubled and scored after junior right fielder Kurt Lipton tripled down the left field line. Lipton then scored on junior third baseman Brandon Casamassima's double to left field to cut the gap to 9-7. Sophomore first baseman Josh Valle then tied the game on his second home run of the season, knotting the game at 9.

In the top of the eighth inning, senior left fielder Jason Brunelli walked, stole second and then scored the potential game-winning run on senior right fielder Zach Rodeghero's double down the left field line. Senior right-handed reliever Andrew Hancock was then able to force a groundout and two strikeouts to end the Crusader threat.

Marshall responded in the bottom of the eighth when senior pinch-runner Matt Helm (running for Victor Gomez who drew a walk) advanced to second on sophomore pinch-hitter Blake Sanders' bunt single, stole third, and then scored on Yeager's sacrifice bunt to force a 10-10 deadlock.

After Hancock hurled a one-two-three ninth, Valle picked up a one-out single in the bottom of the ninth setting up Johnson for a two-run walk-off homer to deep right field. The shot was Johnson's fourth of the season, and also marked the first time the Herd has won on a walk-off hit since Helm tallied a tenth-inning single, March 17, 2007 against Canisius.

Valle and Yeager each finished game two with three hits, while Lipton, Casamassima and junior center fielder Nate Lape each tallied two hits.

Hancock struck out four Crusaders and allowed just one run on one hit in 3.0 innings of sound relief work en route to picking up his first victory of the season.

In game one, Marshall broke a 6-6 tie in the bottom fifth inning when Lape led-off the inning with a blast to right center field, his second of the game. Lipton followed with a single, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Valle. Casamassima, who reached on a free pass, eventually scored on Gomez's RBI single.

The Herd added three more runs in the bottom of the sixth to put the game out of reach.

Freshman right-handed reliever Ian Kadish earned his first victory of the season, while freshman right-hander Arik Sikula picked up his first collegiate save with a solid 2.0 inning, three-strikeout performance.

Lape registered three hits, while Lipton, Valle, Gomez and freshman left fielder Ben Jurevicius picked up a pair of hits in the win.

Lape tallied his sixth and seventh home runs of the season, while Johnson and Valle each added one.

The Herd returns to non-conference action beginning Friday, March 14 when it travels to Lexington, Va. to take on VMI in a three-game series. Friday's game is slated for 4:00 p.m.