March 18, 2008
Shoremen Rope In Mustangs, 4-3
Keiper Throws Perfect Ninth to Pick Up the Save

GLEN BURNIE, MD - Junior catcher Rob Rifkin (Somerset, NJ/Franklin) went 3-for-4 at the plate and sophomore pitcher Chris Keiper (Toms River, NJ/Monsignor Donovan) threw a perfect ninth inning to pick up the save as visiting Washington College topped host Villa Julie College, 4-3, in a non-conference baseball game this afternoon in Glen Burnie, MD. The Shoremen improved to 4-4 with the win, while the Mustangs fell to 10-9-1 with the loss.

Villa Julie took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on an RBI single by Buddy Breidenbaugh. The score remained 1-0 until the top of the fifth inning when the Shoremen loaded the bases with no outs and junior second baseman Ben Kaplan (Fairfax, VA/W.T. Woodson) hit a two run double down the left field line that scored junior outfielder Dan DeMarco (Bethesda, MD/Walt Whitman) and Rifkin. Senior outfielder James Tidwell (Newark, DE/Charter School of Wilmington) then scored on an RBI ground out by junior shortstop Greg Perret (Morris Plains, NJ/Bayley Ellard) and Kaplan scored on a sacrifice fly by sophomore first baseman Matt Boucher (Alexandria, VA/Bishop Ireton).

The Mustangs got a run back in the bottom of the sixth inning when Johnny Jackson drove in Griffin Stewart with an RBI single. The Mustangs had runners on second and third with one out, but Washington sophomore pitcher Chris Smith (Catonsville, MD/Catonsville) retired the next two batters to end the threat. The Mustangs trimmed the lead to one run when Ryan Baione scored on a balk with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Mustangs had the tying run on second following the balk, but WC sophomore pitcher Tom Heppard (Moorestown, NJ/Moorestown), who had entered the game earlier in the inning, got the next batter to ground out and end the inning. Keiper retired the Mustangs in the ninth with two ground outs and a pop-up to shortstop.

Junior first baseman Joe Coveney (Madison, NJ/Madison) and Tidwell each had two hits for the Shoremen to join Rifkin as Shoremen with multiple hits in the game. Baione finished 4-for-4 at the plate for Villa Julie, while Jim Smith went 2-for-4.

Smith allowed three runs, two of them earned, on 10 hits and a walk while striking out three batters in seven and one-third innings to pick up the win for the Shoremen. Heppard walked one batter in two-thirds of an inning.

The Shoremen open their home schedule Saturday with a 1:00 p.m. game against Ithaca.

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