MARION, N.C. – The Salem University baseball team split on the third day of the Independent Baseball Championship as it defeated Bluefield State 20-6 and fell to Virginia State 11-6, Saturday. 
 
With the split Salem sits at 26-26, tying the most wins in DII program history at Salem. 
 
The game with Bluefield State was played in two different days as the game started last night at roughly 8:45 p.m. and was called in the top of the fourth inning and resumed at 10:00 a.m. this morning. 
 
Junior Carson Ellis earned the win (2-2) as he entered the game in the bottom of the fourth allowing nine hits and two earned runs with four strikeouts in five innings. 
 
Sophomore Tyler D'Alessandro was 4-for-5 with three RBI, while senior Harrison Hollis was 3-for-5 with six RBI, four runs scored and a home run. 
 
On the second pitch of the game, Hollis went yard to left field on a leadoff home run to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.  Two batters later, D'Alessandro doubled to left field as senior Thirus Jones scored for a 2-0 lead. 
 
In the next at-bat, sophomore Austin Whetzel bounced a ground rule double over the center field wall as D'Alessandro trotted home for a 3-0 lead. 
 
In the same inning, junior Tyler Ault hit a sacrifice fly to the warning track as Whetzel crossed home for a 4-0 lead. 
 
Continuing in the top of the first, Hollis hit an infield single that scored two runs with junior Dalton Robison and junior Parker Lenivy crossing the plate for a 6-0 lead. In the next at-bat, Jones tattooed a ball to right field for a three-run shot and a 9-0 advantage. 
 
In the top of the third, Salem added three runs as Hollis, Jones and D'Alessandro eached recorded one RBI for a 12-4 lead over the Big Blues. 
 
Senior Jimmy Cramer tripled in the top of the fourth scoring Ault for a 13-4 Tiger lead, while Cramer scored on a wild pitch in the next at-bat for a 14-4 lead. 
 
The game was called at this point resumed at 10:00 am this morning. 
 
Continued in the fourth, the Tigers added four more runs for an 18-4 lead, while the Tigers added two more runs to close out the 20-6 win. 
 
In game two, Whetzel was 3-for-5 from the plate with two RBI and a solo home run, while Cramer was 3-for-4 with one run scored. 
 
Junior James Wiseman is tabbed with the loss (3-6) as he allowed six hits and four earned runs with four strikeouts in 3.1 innings pitched.
 
The Tigers added the first run of the game as Hollis scored off a wild pitch and a few batters later Whetzel singled to right field as Jones crossed home from second for a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. 
 
Virginia State added two runs in the bottom of the second to knot the game at 2-2, while it tacked on one in the bottom of the third and three in the bottom of the fourth for a 6-2 lead over Salem. 
 
In the top of the fifth, Salem tallied three runs as Whetzel hit his third solo bomb of the tournament as he bounced the ball off the scoreboard in left field, Suarez singled to score Cramer and Hollis was walked with the bases loaded as Robison scored to cut the lead to 6-5. 
 
Virginia State added a run in the bottom of the sixth to take a 7-5 lead, while it added four runs in the bottom of the seventh to increase the lead to 11-5. 
 
In the top of the ninth, Robison singled to left field as sophomore Remmington Boyce crossed home to cut the lead to 11-6.
 
The Tigers now wait to see what their placement will be in the single-elimination bracket tomorrow. 
 
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