LANGHORNE, PA – Cairn Baseball got past the rain to play their conference series with Wilson on Sunday, defeating the Phoenix 17-6 and 12-2.
 
GAME ONE
Wilson (6-19 / 4-6 UNITED EAST) got in the scoring column first on back-to-back two out hits to get ahead 1-0. The Highlanders tied it up in the bottom half as senior right fielder Dylan Jackson (Levittown, PA / Chestnut Hill College) reached on an error and moved to third as fellow outfielder Will Wikner (Gaithersburg, MD / Shenandoah University) singled up the middle. Classmate Tyler Warr (Langhorne, PA / Neshaminy) scored Jackson on a sacrifice fly.
 
The Phoenix jumped ahead 3-1 in the second, scoring a pair of runs on two hits and an error, holding Cairn (17-11 / 6-3 UNITED EAST) scoreless in the bottom half and third inning before they added a fourth run to their lead in the fourth. The Highlanders were able to tie the score in the fourth as junior third baseman Ben Gagnon (Bethlehem, PA / Northampton CC) drove in a run on a double. Sophomore shortstop Nathan Schurga (Wilmington, DE / Conrad Schools of Science) reached on an error, cutting the lead to one before freshman second baseman JC Alley (Townsend, DE / Odessa) tied the game with a sacrifice fly, scoring Gagnon.
 
A big fifth inning would be the deciding factor, starting with a lead off single from Jackson, Wikner walking, and Warr scoring both on a double to right center. Schurga would single later, scoring two before Jackson came up again and made the score 10-4 with an RBI single. Junior catcher Zach Bauers (Cooper City, FL / Cooper City) continued to pile runs on with a 2 RBI single to left as the last two runs of the inning would come on a passed ball and walk with the bases loaded, now ahead 15-4.
 
Two more insurance runs in the sixth as Jackson scored on a passed ball and Wikner on another Warr double to make it 17-4. Wilson would score two in the seventh as senior right hander Ethan Fineman (Langhorne, PA / Neshaminy) finished his outing going 7.0 innings with a pair of strikeouts for his third win of the season.
 
Jackson, Warr, Wikner, and sophomore designated hitter Anrew Holt (Sunrise, FL / New College of Florida) each had two hits, Warr with 4 RBI and two doubles.
 
GAME TWO
Cairn opened up game two with a run in each of the first three innings, first on a balk, then RBI groundout by Alley and in the third, a single by Gagnon as the contest would remain scoreless for the next four innings.
 
Senior lefty Joe Battaglia (Franklin, TN / Brentwood Academy) got the start, shutting out the Phoenix for seven innings, scattering four hits and four strikeouts for his third win of the season. As Wilson would score two in the eighth after Battaglia's departure, Cairn would end the game with a nine-run bottom half.
 
Warr got the eighth stated after Wikner was hit by a pitch, scoring Jackson. Holt walked with the bases loaded as Gagnon came up with a single. Freshman outfielder Stephen Persiani (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA / Capistrano Valley Christian) beat out a would be double play, scoring Bauers before he, Schurga, and Holt would score on a Jackson double to right center. Wikner doubled next to bring Jackson around as Warr walked it off with the back-to-back-to-back double to score Wikner for the ten-run lead.
 
Junior reliever Greg Jessup (Tyler, TX / McKinney Christian) picked up his third save of the season. On offense, Warr, Wikner, and Jackson each had a three-hit game, Jackson with 3 RBI as Warr added two. Wikner had two doubles.
 
The Highlanders get back to conference play on Wednesday night at Lancaster Bible College.