HAMPTON, VA. -- The Apprentice School baseball team picked up a pair of wins on Saturday in the annual Builder Invitational at War Memorial Stadium.
They defeated U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association member Briarcliffe College 5-3 and then defeated NCAA Division II Lock Haven University 16-3 to finish bracket play 2-2. The Builders will be the third-seed in Sunday's playoffs where they'll face the winner of Briarcliffe and Lock Haven at noon for third place.
APPRENTICE SCHOOL 5, BRIARCLIFFE 3
The Builders opened the scoring in the third inning plating a pair of runs as Andre Nichols reached on a fielders choice to drive in one and the second scored as a result of a throwing error.
Apprentice School pushed another across in the fifth as Jonathan Dehoux drove in a run on a fielders choice for a 3-0 lead. Briarcliffe answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth on RBI singles from Eric Weiner and Kevin Licul.
Nichols drove in the lone run for the Builders in the sixth on a sacrifice fly and Chris Kennedy drove in Dehoux with a sacrifice fly in the seventh as the Builders took a 5-2 lead.
Sophomore Daniel Lutz went 7.1 innings allowing five hits and striking out four for the win. Junior Coire Barnitz picked up the save with 1.2 innings allowing two hits and striking out one. Josh Tuck was 2-for-4 with a RBI and Ryan Wagner was 2-for-4 with a run scored for the Builders.
APPRENTICE SCHOOL 16, LOCK HAVEN 3
In a game stopped after seven innings due to the 10-run rule, the Builders defeated Lock Haven University 16-3 to finish third in pool play.
Senior Dory Fields was 2-for-5 with six RBIs while Andrew Yonta, Andre Nichols and Ryan Wagner each drove in a pair.
The Builders jumped out quickly with three runs in the top of the first as Fields drove in a pair with a single and Wagner drove in one with a fielders choice. They pushed two more across in the second on a double from Josh Tuck and a sacrifice fly from Yonta for a 5-0 lead.
After giving up a run in the second and third, the Builders exploded for 11 runs in the fourth inning. Fields drove in four of those with three coming on a bases clearing double to highlight the outburst.
Freshman Ethan Halberg earned his first collegiate victory throwing all seven innings and allowing eight hits. Tuck, Fields and Wagner had two hits each, while Tuck, Dehoux and Yonta scored three times.