Babson Park, FL - The 7th ranked Webber International Baseball team took on the Grand View Vikings for a doubleheader on Thursday afternoon. Timely hitting and stout defense helped the Warriors win both games over the Vikings, 7-3 and 7-1.
Game 1: Webber International 7, Grand View 3
The opening game saw Webber International strike first in the bottom of the first inning. After a leadoff double by Deven Tedders, Jalen Martinez drove him in with an RBI triple to right-center field, giving WIU an early 1-0 lead.
Grand View had opportunities to respond in the first few innings, putting runners on base but failing to convert. Their breakthrough came in the fourth inning when they capitalized on defensive errors. After Borst scored on a throwing error, Schwirtz came up clutch with a two-run double to left field, putting GVU ahead 3-2.
However, Webber answered back in the bottom of the fifth with a massive five-run inning that shifted the momentum completely. Ryan Recio led off with a walk and stole third after advancing on a wild pitch. Brandon Sanchez drove in the game-tying run with an RBI single to center field. A costly defensive error allowed two more runs to score, and Steven Nitch came up big with a two-run single to left, giving WIU a commanding 7-3 lead.
After four strong innings from Blayne Huter, Julian Balzer came in and shut down the Vikings, handing Webber a 7-3 victory.
Game 2: Webber International 7, Grand View 1
Webber International carried their momentum into the second game, delivering another strong performance. The Warriors opened the scoring in the second inning when Sanchez worked a bases-loaded walk, forcing in a run to give WIU a 1-0 lead.
In the third inning, Nate Cannizzaro extended the lead with a solo home run, making it 2-0. The inning continued with aggressive base running and timely hits. After Josh Blackmore singled up the middle to drive in another run, Webber took advantage of a passed ball, allowing another runner to score. Sanchez followed up with a two-run single to center, capping a four-run inning and putting WIU up 5-0.
Grand View struggled offensively, managing only one run in the fifth inning on a bases-loaded walk drawn by Wadel. However, Webber responded once again in the bottom of the sixth. Nitch launched a two-run home run to right field, extending the lead to 7-1.
WIU's pitching remained dominant, with their bullpen limiting Grand View to just one hit over the final three innings. Dalton Robinson pitched 4.2 innings before Mark Link and Noah Palmese came in to close out the game, striking out the final batter to secure the 7-1 win and the doubleheader sweep.
