WASHINGTON - For the second day in a row, the Gallaudet University baseball team needed extra innings to determine a winner in a non-conference doubleheader at a sun-drenched Hoy Field on a cool and breezy Sunday afternoon.

Gallaudet (5-7) ran itself out of a comeback in the first game as King's (Pa.) College won, 6-5, in eight innings. The Monarchs (5-1) completed the sweep with an 11-3 win in the second game that went the scheduled seven innings.

GU trailed 5-0 in the first game as the Bison came to the plate in the bottom of the fifth. King's starting pitcher Adin Hoderewski lost the strike zone as he issued four walks while his defense made one fielding error and Bison sophomore Johnathan Guerrero (Indio, Calif.) came through with a clutch RBI single through the right-side of the infield to spark the comeback.

Gallaudet chased Hoderewski but still trailed 5-3. The Monarchs reliever Josh Kilvitis (1-0) came on promptly issued a walk with the bases loaded and freshman Darico Castillo (Passaic, N.J.) reached on a fielder's choice to plate the fifth run for the Bison. GU had runners at the corners with two outs but the Bison ran themselves out of the inning when Castillo got caught stealing at second base to end the five-run fifth.

The Bison had another prime opportunity to win the game, in walk-off fashion, in the bottom of the seventh as Guerrero singled and senior outfielder Austin Sliva-Wynne (Rosenberg, Texas) got hit by the pitch to place runners at first and second with one out. Junior catcher Salvador Diaz (Norwalk, Calif.) grounded out for the second out but GU had runners in scoring position at second and third base. Junior Joshua Dugan (San Antonio, Texas) stepped to the plate but grounded out to second base to end the inning as the game went into extra frames.

In the top of the eighth, the Monarchs had runners at the corners with two outs. GU reliever Darren Drolsbaugh (Lansdale, Pa.) threw over to first base to try and pick-off the King's runner but first baseman Dugan couldn't hold onto the ball as Brennen Schneider scored from third to give the Monarchs the 6-5 lead.

The Bison were retired in order in the bottom of the eighth.

Guerrero started the first game and threw seven innings and surrendered five runs (two earned ) on seven hits, walked three and struck out five.

In the second game, the two teams had a hard time scoring runs until late. King's led 1-0 after the second inning and added a run in the fourth and two runs in the fifth to take a 4-0 lead. 

In the bottom of the fifth, GU got on the scoreboard when sophomore outfielder Jaylen Johnson (Redlands, Calif.) doubled down the left field line to cut the Monarchs lead in half, 4-2. Johnson came around to score when Drolsbaugh reached on a throwing error and got to second base with one out. King's got out of the jam as it held a 4-3 advantage.

The game unraveled in the sixth when Drolsbaugh got tagged for six runs on four hits and three walks as King's took a 10-3 lead. The Monarchs added one more run in the seventh.

GU freshman starting pitcher Eli Solomon (Flushing, N.Y.) took the loss as he allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits, four walks and two strikeouts in 4.1 innings worked. 

UP NEXT
Gallaudet will next pack its bags for Florida and the annual Spring Break trip south to play six games in five days. The Bison will first play a doubleheader against Norwich University (1-5) on Friday, March 10, at noon, in Fort Pierce, Fla., at the Lawnwood Baseball Complex.