Xavier University Athletics
Xavier University
Fordham
Late Night Inning Gives Xavier Win, A-10 Tourney Spot
05.22.11 | Baseball
May 22, 2011
Box Score
BRONX, N.Y. - It took until the midnight hour, but the Xavier baseball team is heading back to the conference tournament after scoring five runs in the top of the 14th inning to defeat Fordham 8-4 at Houlihan Field.
The victory gives the Musketeers the fourth seed entering into the Atlantic 10 Championship, and avoids a complicated four-way tie for the final two playoff spots. Xavier finishes the regular season with a 30-25 record and 14-11 mark, while the loss ends Fordham's season with an overall record of 31-23-1, and conference mark of 12-11-1.
Seth Willoughby (2-5) was nearly flawless in his victory earning effort. The sophomore right-hander struck out eight while surrendering just one hit and one walk in 6.1 innings of relief work, the longest outing of his career.
After seven scoreless innings of playoff atmosphere baseball, the Musketeers opened the flood gates to score the most runs in an inning since their walk-off win against St. Bonaventure on April 29.
Seniors John McCambridge and Ben Thomas started the inning with singles and the Rams choose to intentional walk Willoughby to load the bases with one out.
The Rams then turned over the duties to pitcher Rich Anastasi, who was promptly greeted by freshman Brian Bruening`s single to left field, which scored McCambridge and gave the Musketeers their first lead of the night.
Senior Ryan Bellamy then fisted a full-count pitch into shallow left field, plating Thomas and putting Xavier ahead by two runs. Freshman Selby Chidemo and sophomore Patrick Paligraf followed with run-scoring singles, and Bellamy scored on a McCambridge hit by pitch to make it an 8-3 game.
The victory sealed the fifth-straight trip to the Atlantic 10 Championship for the Musketeers, who won the title in 2009. Xavier is schedule to play No. 5 Richmond on Wednesday in Camden, N.J, with first pitch tentatively scheduled for Noon.
A loss would have tied Xavier with La Salle, Richmond and St. Bonaventure for the final two playoff spots. According to conference tie breaking procedures it seems that the Musketeers might have been a lock to make the playoffs either way. Saturday's victory left nothing up to chance.
Richmond and La Salle captured the two final spots in the tournament, which will be played at picturesque Campbell Field.
Fordham started Saturday's affair by scoring two runs on a walk, triple, and single in the first inning. Xavier squared the game at 2-all in the third by loading the bases with one out. Thomas' four-pitch walk pushed Chidemo across, and senior Phil Bauer's groundout to the shortstop drove in redshirt sophomore Mark Elwell.
The Rams scored on a two-out single in the bottom of the fifth inning to give them a brief one-run lead. Xavier benefited from two wild pitches in the top of the sixth to tie the game.
Both starters went 5.1 innings and allowed three earned runs. Xavier redshirt freshman Vinny Nittoli retired five on strikes, while Fordham's Max Krakowiak fanned four.
The Rams' Nick Martinez (1-3) was the losing pitcher after allowing three Xavier runners to reach base to begin the 14th inning.
The start of the game, which lasted nearly four and a half hours, was delayed 55 minutes due to rain and resulted in the contest end nearly 20 minutes after midnight.
