Bridgewater, Va. – The Bridgewater College baseball team shut out Mary Baldwin University (MBU) 4-0 on March 8.

The Eagles started strong on defense in the first inning with a short pitching game that resulted in no runs or hits from MBU. The men ended the first with one successful single by senior Jarret Biesecker. 

The second inning brought an impressive performance by junior Hunter Clever and senior Timothy Hopson who both caught fly balls and served the Fighting Squirrels an out. First-year pitcher Holdyn Ambrose ended the top of the second by striking out Mary Baldwin’s first-year Tyler Smith. 

“They (the Eagles) are not letting Mary Baldwin get any hits,” said sophomore spectator Reilly Heinbaugh. “They have come out strong today.”

The Eagles started the bottom of second inning with an excellent double by senior Kevin Navedo that soared into deep right field. Still, the game tied 0-0 all through the third inning. 

The Eagles came alive in the fourth inning, as junior Jeffery Snider earned a single in a race to safety on first base. Moments later, Snider showed off his speed and stole second base. Navedo then stepped up to bat and knocked a single, which Snider used to seize the first run of the game.

BC continued to be on fire as junior Collin Reid stepped up to the plate with two outs on the board. Reid smashed the ball deep to the right of center field to allow Navedo to score the second run of the fourth inning. 

The score was 2-0 as the Eagles headed into the fifth. 

“There was a great hitting performance,” said sophomore fan Tyler Gillian. “The strong fourth and fifth innings cracked out a lot of hits, which gave us a strong lead.”

The top of the fifth ended quickly as Bridgewater’s defense shut down any hits the Fighting Squirrels attempted to make. The offense continued to be just as successful as senior Jacob Grabeel hit a single. He then stole second and advanced to third with an error from MBU’s catcher. 

Grabeel went on to score the third run for the Eagles and Navedo scored the fourth from a single by Clever – finishing up the fifth inning. 

“Offensively it was an okay day, it could have been better, and we knew we needed to make adjustments,” said Biesecker. “Some of us were able to, so all and all it was a good game.”

The sixth inning showed off Bridgewater’s impressive defense with a flyball caught by Biesecker. Snider leaped for MBU’s next batter’s line drive and caught the ball midair to secure the second out. All followed by Clever who caught a line drive at the back right fence and ended the top of the inning for the Fighting Squirrels. 

“It had a slow start, but Bridgewater put out a solid performance and amazing catches,” said junior spectator Seth Kellar. 

The seventh and eighth innings were slow with the only hit belonging to the Eagles. At the top of the eighth, Bridgewater’s pitcher Ambrose was subbed out by senior Robbie Stoss. Ambrose pitched 74 balls, 52 of which were strikes. 

Senior pitcher Brett Tharp subbed in for the last inning of the game and the Eagles pulled out a double play against Mary Baldwin. Tharp finished the game with a strikeout and picked up the save, making the Eagle’s record 10-4 with a final score of 4-0. 

“Our pitchers pitched really well,” said Biesecker. “Any jams they were in, they were able to get themselves out of. They were good at limiting damage.”

The Eagles will return to action on Sunday for a doubleheader with SUNY Oneonta. Game one is set to start at noon.