Wesley Upsets No. 1 Salisbury

SALISBURY, Md. - Wesley College's D.J. Keckler (Fallston, Md./Fallston) tossed a two-hit shutout as the Wolverines halted No. 1 Salisbury's 44-game regular season win streak in the first game of a CAC doubleheader.

It marked the first time in a team sport that Wesley has defeated the No. 1 team in the nation in a team sport.

The freshman righthander worked out of jams in both the seventh and eighth innings in the scheduled seven inning affair before Wesley finally got to the Sea Gulls' Chad Wolfe in the top of the ninth.

Bill Hodgdon (Dennisville, N.J./Middle Township) led off the frame with an infield single and was bunted over to second. After the freshman moved to third on a passed ball, Grant Morlock (Bel Air, Md./Fallston) knocked a single up the middle to plate the winning run. Morlock later scored on a Salisbury error that could have ended the inning for the Wolverines' second run.

Keckler then pitched a perfect bottom half of the inning for his first career complete game. He allowed just five total baserunners, but did not strike out a single batter. Keckler held Division III's top ranked squad hitless over the final 7.1 innings, a span of 25 batters, and at one point retired 13 straight.

Wesley managed nine hits in the contest, including two apiece by Stu Madden (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) and Kevin Murphy (Middletown, Md./Middletown).

The Sea Gulls salvaged a split with a 7-0 win in the second game as Kyle Judson and Dustin Herbet combined on a four-hit shutout.

Salisbury did most of its damage in a six-run second inning highlighted by a two-run single by Randy Boyle. Three walks and an error, in addition to three singles, led to Wesley's undoing in the inning.

The Wolverines' bullpen of Ryan Doran (Bensalem, Pa./Bensalem), John Capasso (Leonardtown, Md./Leonardtown) and Chris Koch (Hyattsville, Md./Bishop McNamara), settled down, however, and allowed just three hits in the final 5.1 innings.

Wesley had a chance to get back in the game in the sixth when Greg McKee () walked, Madden singled and Murphy reached on an error to load the bases with no one out. Judson ended the threat picking up a strike out and forcing the final two batters of the inning to pop up.

Boyle was the lone player for either team with more than one hit and also drove in three runs.

With the split, Wesley is now 6-4-1 overall and 1-2 in the CAC, while Salisbury is 11-1 overall and 2-1 in CAC action.

The Wolverines now head south for a week in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina started by a game against Catholic on March 2.