Bridgewater College

WASHINGTON, Pa. - The Bridgewater College baseball team advanced to the regional championship game with two wins Saturday over Washington & Jefferson and Scranton in the Washington regional. The Eagles will face University of Chicago to fight for a spot in the super regionals next week.  

The Basics 

Game 1 Score: Bridgewater (BC) 11, Washington & Jefferson (WJC) 0 

Game 2 Score: Bridgewater (BC) 9, Scranton (SCR) 6 

Records: BC (35-14); WJC (32-13), SCR (29-17) 

How It Happened 

Game 1 vs Washington & Jefferson 

• The Bridgewater Eagles came out ready to fire, as they strung together two early runs in the first inning. Zack Chadwell scored in Nick Stavros on a groundout and Chandler Valbak followed with an RBI to bring home Jakson Walter. Evan Bert kicked off the opening frame with a pair of K's.  

• In the third inning, Chadwell blasted a shot deep over the right field wall for a two-run dinger. The Eagles began to command control through three innings of play as Bert continued to pile on the strikeouts. BC charged ahead with three more runs off the fiery bat of Chadwell with a bases-clearing three-run double. The Presidents faced a 7-0 deficit heading into the fifth. 

• BC pushed further with an additional insurance run in the fifth. Trent Holland smacked a single up the middle to knock in Bryce Suters. Bert continued to set the tone on the mound while getting out of jams with runners in scoring position in back-to-back frames. W&J went down in order to stay scoreless. 

• The Eagles punched another run on the board in the sixth to stand with a strong 9-0 advantage off an RBI single by Valbak. Shortly after, Valbak launched a shot over the left field wall to bring in two runs for a massive 11-0 gain. Meanwhile, more strikeouts stacked up against the Presidents as Bert commanded the game effectively through nine innings to take the shutout, 11-0. 

Game 2 vs Scranton 

• BC commanded the game early off the hot bat of Zack Chadwell, as Chadwell smacked his second home run of the day for a three-run shot over the right field wall. The Eagles set the tone early and never looked back. 

• Lucas Cash pounded the strike zone off the first pitch of the game and quickly ran up the strikeout total to three quick strikeouts and six-straight outs in the first two innings. The Eagles pieced together another unanswered run in the bottom of the frame with a drilled double down the left field line by Bransen Hensley to bring home Trent Holland. Cash continued to pummel the zone with four straight K's in another nonthreatening inning in the third. 

• The Royals were able to find the breakthrough in the fourth inning with a three-run home run to crack into the score and to quickly cut the deficit to one run at 4-3. BC shifted the offense back into its favor with a leadoff runner on base with a throwing error. TJ Johnson came around to score with the help of a sacrifice fly from Jakson Walter to hold a 5-3 advantage. Nick Stavros crossed home plate from a balk to extend the scoring streak to 6-3. 

• Despite the added RBI double by SCR, BC stayed in control of the lead as Hensley hammered a triple in the right center gap to knock in Holland. The Royals battled back in the top of the seventh with a pair of runs to stay within reach. BC attempted to add back the runs with multiple runners on base, but the Eagles could not get the runners in to add insurance help. 

• Matthew Bishop worked the mound effectively in the eighth with three straight strikeouts. BC mounted on two more runs to add cushion to the lead heading into the ninth. 

Game Notes 

Game 1 vs Washington & Jefferson 

• Bridgewater certainly turned the offense around from game 1 of NCAA regionals with 19 hits, five doubles, and two home runs.  

• Evan Bert shined on the mound tying his single game career high of 12 strikeouts for his third complete game of the season.  

• Zack Chadwell posted a strong performance on the day with six RBIs, three hits, and two runs scored. 

Game 2 vs Scranton 

• Zack Chadwell and Jakson Walter each posted three RBIs. Chadwell finished the day with 9 RBIs and two home runs. 

• Both remained close in hits as Bridgewater edged the Royals with 11 to Scranton's 10, respectively. 

• Bridgewater pitching combined for 13 strikeouts and stranded eight batters on base.  Lucas Cash earned the win after six innings pitched along with seven strikeouts. Matthew Bishop was recorded with the save for his first save of the season including six strikeouts. 

Up Next 

The Eagles head to the regional championship tomorrow, May 17 against Chicago. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. at Ross Memorial Park.