BOWIE, Md. – The Capital University baseball  team finally hit the field in Maryland on Saturday after being rained out on Friday night. The Comets met Elmira on the diamond for two nine-inning games at the home of the Bowie Baysox – Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles – Prince George's Stadium. Capital's firepower showed out in game one as the Comets pushed 12 runs across the plate. Game two was much more of a pitchers' duel with Elmira scoring their only run in the second inning and keeping Capital contained until the eighth inning when the Comets finally pulled ahead with a two-run two-out rally, winning the game 2-1.

The Comets wrap up their road trip with a 4-5 record.

Emira falls to 1-7.

GAME ONE (CAPITAL 12-6 ELMIRA)
Curtis Clark took the hill in game one, going three innings, striking out three, and allowing just one run. He was credited with the win, bringing his record to 1-2. Ethan Pollack (2.0 IP), Justin Mason, Gavin Vanhorn (1.0), Aaron Olech (2.0), and Brennon Newell (1.0 IP) took care of business out of the pen. Capital pitchers combined for 11 punchouts on the day. Pollack, Olech, and Newell joined Clark in the punchout party with Pollack notching four in his two innings of work, and Olech and Newell having two each.

Elmira struck first, scoring in the first inning on a 6-3 groundout. However, it was not long until Capital pushed back, and pushed back hard. Five Comets would cross the plate in the second inning to give Cap its first substantial lead of the afternoon. It all got started when Grayson Gully hit his first of two triples to right field. Ty Clifton then hit 4-3 groundout RBI, bringing Gully in. Next, the Comets would load the bases and EJ Santana would promptly unload them, hitting a bases-clearing double to plate Hunter Wilson, Reagan Burch, and Kielan LaMarr and making the score 4-1. Gulley would return the favor as Capital batted around, singling to the first baseman and knocking in Santana and giving CU a 5-1 lead. 

CU would not stop there as they notched three more runs in the bottom of the fourth and yet another in the bottom of the fifth. Again it was Gulley getting a ball deep to the right field wall, this time with Logan White and Santana on base. Both White and Santana would come around to score as Gulley found himself at third once again with his second triple of the game. Clifton would bring him in on a single to left field shortly thereafter. In the fifth, Santana would get his fourth RBI of the afternoon, plating Wilson and making it a 9-1 ballgame.

Elmira inched back in the sixth inning, scoring three runs to pull it to a 9-5 scoreline. Capital responded by putting up three more in the seventh to put the game further out of reach. Santana walked with the bases loaded to bring in Ryan Brophy, his fifth RBI of the day in just the first of two games. Ryne McKinney then doubled down the left field line to bring in Wilson and Burch who had occupied the second and third base bags. This brought Capital's total to 12 runs. Elmira would get one back in the top of the ninth before being closed out by the Comets 12-6.

Along with Santana's five RBIs, Gulley got three, followed by Ty Clifton and Ryne McKinney with two each. Santana and Gulley also had three hits apiece.

GAME TWO (CAPITAL 2-1 ELMIRA)
Kyle Bowles got the ball in game two, going three innings and giving up one run. Joey Womble (1.0 IP, 1 SO), Tyler Sickles (1.0 IP, 2 SO), Noah Bromberg (1.0 IP), Spencer Knight (1.0 IP, 2 SO), Adam Frump (0.1 IP), and Garrett Montgomery (1.2 IP) offered relief out of the pen. Montgomery goes down as the winning pitcher. 

Again Elmira drew first blood, plating their first run in the second inning on a sacrifice fly to right field. From then on it was fairly quiet as the squads traded scoreless innings. That was until the bottom of the eighth when Justin Witherspoon drew a walk while pinch-hitting. He was pinch-run for by Josh Gilmore who advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Kielan LaMarr. Reagan Burch brought Gilmore in on a double down the left field line and replaced him at second. Hunter Wilson was next to hit, singling with Burch being sent home to score the go-ahead run. It was then that three quick outs in the top of the ninth spelled a 2-1 victory for the Comets.

UP NEXT
The Comets will return to Ohio to face Wright State Lake in Celina on March 18. Those games are set to start at 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.