ARNOLD, Md. -- The Anne Arundel Community College baseball team picked up a split against visiting CCBC Essex in divisional doubleheader at a windswept Skip Brown Field Sunday afternoon. Russell Turner had the game-winning walk with two outs in the bottom of the seventh as AACC won the opener, 5-4. Essex scored seven runs in the seventh to take game two, 14-7.
Game One
AACC took an early lead in the game, and Essex tied it up at 4-4 with three runs in the fifth. The Riverhawks got on the board in the second inning on an RBI groundout from JC Wilson. After conceding an unearned run in the top of the third, AACC rallied for three runs in the bottom half of the inning. Griffin Klein drove in Rylan Palle, who led off the inning with an infield single. A double to deep left center from Camden Hodges sent two more runs across.
The first two Essex batters drew walks to start the fifth, leading to one run to score on a throwing error, and two more scored to tie it up on a Justin Cook single. The Riverhawks got out of the inning with a pickoff at third base by reliever Matt Donaldson.
Donaldson had another pickoff in the sixth and stunned the final batter at the plate in the sixth, but the Riverhawks went down in order in the bottom half of the inning.
AACC regrouped in the seventh to end the inning on a double play and carry the momentum into their half of the inning.
With one out, Ross reached on a fielder's choice and promptly stole second. The Knights intentionally walked Klein before a flyout to right. Both Ross and Klein advanced a base on a wild pitch, and Hodges was hit at the plate to load the bases, setting up Turner for the game-winning walk.
Donaldson earned the win with one hit and three strikeouts in 2.2 innings of relief work. Starter Evan Pohlman struck out seven and walked five while allowing two earned runs on five hits through 4.1 innings.
Game Two
It was Essex that took an early lead in the nightcap before AACC tied it up twice – first at 4-4 in the third, and again at 7-7 in the sixth. But the Knights scored seven runs on five hits in the seventh to take the win.
Essex scored three runs in the second before Ross threw a cannon from center field to second to tag out the batter attempting to extend a single. In the third, an error on an attempt to throw out a stealing runner at third sent one more Knights player across.
AACC took advantage of two errors to score four runs and tie it up in the bottom half of the inning. With the bases loaded, Camden Hodges sent the first run across when he reached via infield error. A sac fly from Travis Fleshman scored the second run, which was followed by back-to-back RBI singles from Turner and Rylan Palle.
An RBI double and a wild throw attempt to get out a runner at home allowed Essex to score three more runs in the fifth.
AACC responded with an RBI single from Jack Woods in the bottom half of the inning, and after retiring Essex in order in the sixth, the Riverhawks tied it up in a two-out rally on RBI singles from Hodges and Turner.
The Riverhawks used five pitchers in the game, seeing Ross get tagged with the loss in 2.1 innings of relief work.
Next up for AACC is a crucial divisional doubleheader at home Thursday, May 1, against CCBC Catonsville.