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AKRON, Ohio — West Virginia Wesleyan scored in three straight innings and got a solo home run from Adrian Amezquita, but Akron used a fast start and a six-run fifth inning to defeat the Bobcats, 14-4, on Tuesday afternoon at Skeeles Field.
Akron took control early, scoring three runs in the first inning and adding another in the second before stretching the lead to 7-0 through three frames. Henry Hayman delivered a two-run double in the opening inning, Prince DeBoskie added an RBI double in the second, and Austin Lafferty connected on a two-run homer in the third to help the Zips build momentum.
The Bobcats began to chip away in the fourth. Coleman Cross worked a leadoff walk, Matthew Neach and Josiah Segura followed with free passes, and Carter Collins brought home Wesleyan’s first run with a sacrifice fly to right-center, trimming the deficit to 7-1.
Wesleyan added two more runs in the fifth without the benefit of a hit. Adrian Amezquita drew a walk to start the inning, Dylan Neach reached on catcher’s interference, and the Bobcats took advantage of Akron miscues. Grant Shumaker’s bunt led to a throwing error that allowed one run to score, and Segura later forced in another with an RBI walk to make it 7-3.
Akron answered emphatically in the bottom half of the fifth, putting the game out of reach with six runs on four hits. Kelton Phillips highlighted the inning with a two-run single, DeBoskie legged out an RBI triple, and Brody Chrisman followed with a two-run homer down the right-field line as the Zips extended the margin to 13-3.
Amezquita provided Wesleyan’s offensive bright spot in the sixth, launching a solo home run to left. He finished 2-for-2 with two runs scored, an RBI, and a walk, accounting for both of Wesleyan’s hits on the day. Segura also drove in a pair of runs, while Collins added an RBI on the sacrifice fly.
On the mound, Bryson Peffer took the loss for Wesleyan after working the first two innings. Nolan Slaughter provided a steady middle stretch, allowing just one run over 2.0 innings in relief. Andrew Napoleon, Kole Miller, and Adiel Rivera also saw action for the Bobcats. Akron starter Landon Vandegrift earned the win after striking out five over 3.0 scoreless innings.
Akron finished with 13 hits, led by Chrisman, who went 3-for-4 with a double, home run, and four RBI. Phillips scored twice and drove in two, while DeBoskie and Lafferty also turned in multi-hit performances in the win. Wesleyan drew seven walks but struck out 13 times in the contest.
West Virginia Wesleyan moved to 9-25 on the season with the setback, while Akron improved to 14-17.
The Bobcats travel on Saturday, April 11 for a 1 p.m. doubleheader against Concord University.
