REDS Sweep Huskies

(FREDERICTON, NB) The UNB REDS began their 2024 Atlantic Collegiate Baseball Association schedule with a pair of wins, Sunday, over the Saint Mary’s Huskies.

Sunday’s double-header sweep came in the wake of Saturday’s rain, which washed out their scheduled double-header with the STFX X-Men.

In Sunday’s first game, the REDS used strong pitching and great defence to beat the Huskies 3-2.

Cooper Fraser, Iain Warr, and Waylon Matchett combined to hold Saint Mary’s to just the two runs.

The REDS were sure handed, playing error-free baseball.

Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning, pinch hitter Ryan Galbraith hit a deep fly ball that gave a SMU outfielder trouble. Two runs scored on the play and the REDS went ahead 3-2.

A clean seventh inning secured the win.

Michael Delong led the way at the plate for UNB with two of UNB’s five hits.

In the second game, starting pitcher Adam Wenzel worked five strong innings, allowing one earned run on five hits and striking out six.

Aidan McBurnie, Kyle Kennedy, and Galbraith relieved Wenzel.

The Huskies jumped out to an early 2-1 lead before Delong drove in a pair of runs in the fourth to make it 3-2.

The REDS added another run on a SMU miscue to make it 4-2 before the Huskies scraped back to tie up the game in the top of the seventh.

UNB put the Huskies away when Galbraith hit a groundball that prompted a throwing error allowing Connor Hill to score and give the REDS a 5-4 victory.

Hill, Nick St. Pierre and Delong, led the way at the plate combining for seven of UNB's 10 hits.

"I thought we played a tough game, were resilient and came up big in a lot of tough spots,” said REDS head coach Kevin McCarthy. “Our pitching and defence was solid, and we did a great job of limiting bases. Our top three carried us at the plate and we can do a lot of the little things better on that side of the ball to make it tougher on the opposition.”

UNB goes on the road Saturday and Sunday for double-headers at Holland College and STFX.

“It's nice to go 2-and-0,” said McCarthy. “We’ll get some good practice in and work on some offense to be better in the coming weeks."

RECAP BY: Waylon Matchett & Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics

PHOTOS BY: Madison Tucker/UNB Athletics