BY: Monica Vega (mvega@smcm.edu)

Washington, D.C. – The St. Mary's College of Maryland baseball team was successful in their final game of the season, closing out 2016 with a 6-2 non-conference win against the Gallaudet University Bison Monday afternoon after eight innings of play. The game was called after eight due to inclement weather.

Today's win sent 22nd-year head coach Lew Jenkins into retirement on top. Jenkins collected 358 wins during his illustrious career as the Seahawks skipper. The Gallaudet baseball program honored Jenkins with an autographed bat and ball before the game got underway.

St. Mary's third baseman Colin Thatcher (Germantown, Md./Seneca Valley) would have a strong showing at bat with one hit and two RBI while senior first baseman Michael O'Neill (Ocean City, Md./Stephen Decatur) would also contribute a hit for the Seahawks and one run. The Seahawks would complete the game with six runs on two hits and two errors.

The Seahawks (10-23) would be first on the board, recording two runs in the first inning and setting the momentum for the game. They would put up a run in the second and score two more in the third. The Bison would not see the scoreboard until the fourth inning, bringing in one run but unable to match the five-run lead set by St. Mary's.

Gallaudet (9-30) would score one more run in sixth but was unable to upend the Seahawks despite a strong defensive fight in the final three innings of the game. St. Mary's would also score one final run in the eighth inning, capping the game at six runs and receiving the victory.

The Bison were led by junior third baseman Zack Crawford (Newnan, Ga./Newnan) who had two hits and two RBI. Gallaudet would conclude the game with two runs on 10 hits and five errors. Senior RHP Ben Coleman (St. Paris, Ohio) would take the loss for the Bison after pitching 6.0 innings with four walks and two strikeouts.

Seahawks senior Garrett Pope (Port Republic, Md./Calvert) would receive the win, working six innings and capturing two strikeouts. Pope would improve his record to 3-5 for the season. Junior LHP Nick Raimondo (Davidsonville, Md./South River) would come in clutch for the Seahawks, receiving his third save of the season with two strikeouts.

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