FAYETTEVILLE – On a night that featured a Fayetteville Swampdog stealing home, Blowfish baserunning mistakes cost Columbia as Fayetteville won easily 8-3 at JP Riddle Stadium Wednesday night.
The Blowfish (4-7) were caught stealing three times and Will Callaway (Appalachian State) was picked off second with the bases loaded. Columbia also left 10 runners stranded. The Fish have now lost four of their last five.
Fayetteville (6-4) starter Lee Zerrusen (Illinois, 1-0) didn’t have his best stuff, but pitched out of several jams to get the win. Zerrusen gave up two runs on six hits in five innings, while striking out three. Blowfish starter Jake Zokan (Charleston, 0-1) had a rough debut, surrendering six runs off six hits and two walks in only three innings.
Columbia got on the board in the top of the first. Max McEleney (San Diego) reached with a bunt single and moved over to third on Callaway’s base hit. Brison Celek (South Carolina) followed with a sacrifice fly to center field to give Columbia an early 1-0 lead.
Fayetteville answered with a pair in the bottom of the inning. Jake Carlson (Dartmouth) and Nick Natoli (Towson) both led off with singles. After a Corey LeVier (Cypress) sacrifice bunt moved the runners over, Eric Grabe (Tampa) grounded out to score Carlson. Chuck Wychock (Towson) then doubled to left to bring home Natoli and make it 2-1 Swampdogs.
Fayetteville added two more in the second. Jimmy Roesinger (Dayton) started off with a single, then Zokan walked Benton Yaun (GA College & St) to put runners on second and third with no outs. After a Christian Cummins (Illinois) sac bunt, Carlson plated both runners with a two-run single to give the Swampdogs a 4-1 lead.
The Blowfish cut into that lead in the third. Branfy Arias (Tusculum) hit a one-out single, then moved to second on McEleney’s base hit. Callway then drove home Arias with an RBI single to left and making the score 4-2. A groundout moved the runners to second and third with two outs. Bryan Hill (Union) then walked to load the bases, but Callaway lost track of the situation and was picked off second on a strong throw by the catcher Yaun.
Fayetteville put another pair aboard in the bottom of the inning. Zokan walked Grabe and gave up a Wychock single. Both runners picked up a stolen base and Brandon Padula (Maryland) scored Grabe with a groundout, then Roesinger brought home Wychock with a sac bunt to give the Swampdogs a 6-2 lead.
Columbia got another run across in the seventh. Arias singled for his third hit of the night, then stole second and advanced to third after Yaun overthrew the base. McEleney then brought Arias home with a sac fly to make it 6-3.
But the Swampdogs added on in the bottom half, including a rare steal of home. Carlson and Natoli started off with back-to-back singles and a fielding error by shortstop Dadynoel Lorenzo (Georgia Southern) loaded the bases with no outs. Grabe then grounded into a double play that brought Carlson across. With two outs, Natoli then broke for home while Blowfish reliever Ryan Gunther (Elon) went into the windup. Natoli slid in safely as the throw sailed high over the catcher’s glove for a stolen base to extend the lead 8-3.
NOTES: Natoli’s steal of home allowed one Fayetteville fan to win a new car thanks to a Swampdogs promotion… Columbia’s 1-2-3 hitters (Arias, McEleney, Callaway) were 8-for-13. The rest of the lineup went 1-for-18… It’s the fourth consecutive game in which the Blowfish have left at least nine runners stranded…. Columbia returns home for a rematch against the Swampdogs on Thursday. It will be Thirsty Thursday, meaning all 12-ounce beers and sodas will be only $1.
