March 15, 2008
SPARTANBURG, S.C.--For the second straight weekend, Yale was supposed to play a Saturday doubleheader against an opponent from the Southern Conference. For the second straight Saturday, Mother Nature had other plans. The Bulldogs (3-8) did get one game in, falling to Wofford (12-3), 4-0, at King Field, before game two was called off because of lightning. The weather looks good for Sunday, so the Bulldogs and Terriers will make up the second game as part of a doubleheader.
Wofford plated a run in the second when Adam Kearney doubled, then came home on Josh McKinney's single. The Terriers added three more in the fourth. Shane Kirkley walked to start the inning, then moved to third when first baseman Trygg Larsson-Danforth tried to get the lead runner on Mo Seay's bunt, but instead threw the ball into center field. A Kearney single knocked in the run, then Wofford added another on a single by Jake Williams. Kearney then came around from third on a passed ball to make it 4-0.
Despite notching just three hits, the Bulldogs had their chances. Yale got a man on in each of the first four innings, but each time the Bulldogs failed to move the runner past second base. Yale's best scoring chance probably came in the top of the first when Stefan Schropp singled, then moved to second on a passed ball with one out. However, Josh Cox struck out and Ryan Lavarnway grounded to third to end the inning.
Brian Irving (1-1) took the loss for the Bulldogs. He gave up six hits and four runs (one earned) while striking out three and walking two in four innings. John Henry Davis and Joe Castaldi each tossed an inning of relief. Each gave up a hit and struck out a batter.
Ben Austin (4-0) went the distance on the mound for the Terriers. Austin struck out three and walked two for his second shutout of the season. Michael Gilmartin and Kearney were the hitting stars for Wofford. They each went 2-for-3 at the plate, while Kearney also scored twice and had an RBI.
Because of the imminent weather, the scheduled 1 p.m. game started 40 minutes early. It started to rain during the fifth inning, but the teams played on until the umpires saw lightning as the Bulldogs were getting ready to hit in the top of the seventh. After looking at the radar and determining that it was only going to get worse, the game was called after a delay of approximately 15 minutes.
After starting the trip with a win, Yale has dropped six of its last seven games. The teams will try to play two seven-inning games on Sunday, with game one scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
Report filed by Joe Clifford, Yale Sports Publicity