Buena Vista, Va. – The Southern Virginia University baseball team got back on track with a commanding 17–7 win over the Wildcats of Johnson & Wales University on Friday afternoon.
Conner Robley wasted no time getting the Knights on the board, launching a first-pitch home run to left field to open the scoring. Seth Lloyd was then hit by a pitch and Mason Jones followed with a single down the line to keep the momentum going.
Zack Geertsen sent a hard-hit ball to third, and heads-up baserunning from Lloyd allowed him to avoid the tag. An errant throw across the diamond allowed Lloyd to score. Garrett Stauffer then cleared the bases with a double to right-center, giving the Knights a 4–0 lead after the first inning.
Southern Virginia added four more runs in the second inning. Brooks Burdette and Robley opened the frame with hits before Ben Agnew blasted a three-run home run to right field. Later in the inning, Stauffer brought home Geertsen, who had singled earlier, with a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 8–0.
Johnson & Wales answered with a three-run homer in the top of the third, but the Knights continued to pile on runs in the bottom half. A double steal by Agnew and Burdette put runners in scoring position for Jones, whose ground ball slipped under the shortstop's glove to score two. Geertsen followed with an RBI single to right, pushing the lead to 11–3.
The Knights kept the pressure on in the fifth inning. Robley led off with a single and Agnew drew a walk, setting up another double steal. With two outs, Geertsen delivered again with a two-RBI single to center, and later scored on a throwing error by the third baseman to make it 14–3.
The Wildcats responded with another homer, this time a two-run shot, to cut the deficit to 14–5. Southern Virginia answered in the sixth inning when Jones drew an RBI walk and Geertsen added a sacrifice fly, extending the lead to 16–5.
Johnson & Wales plated two more runs following a Knights error, but Southern Virginia ended the game early in the bottom of the inning. Ryan Farris drew a walk and advanced to second before Logan Austin drove him home with a single, sealing the 17–7 run-rule victory.
The Knights now turn their attention to another busy day as they host The Apprentice School in a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 11:00 a.m.
For the latest updates on Southern Virginia University baseball, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_bsb on Instagram.
