NORTHFIELD-- In a wild day of action at Garrity Field, the Norwich University baseball team used extra-innings and dominant pitching performances to sweep visiting Anna Maria by scores of 4-2 and 3-2 (9 innings) on Sunday.

The wins put Norwich at 8-18 overall and at 7-9 in GNAC play, which puts the Cadets in prime position for the group's first playoff appearance since 2010. The Cadets won't know for sure if they are in the playoffs until the conclusion of the conference regular season.

In game one, Norwich got the scoring started early when Sean Gerich (Chicago, Ill.) walked to leadoff the bottom of the first. He was bunted to second by freshman Brian Baker (Keene, N.H.) and moved to third on a groundball. With two outs, Mike Doyle (Weymouth, Mass.) walked and then Gerich scored on an RBI single by freshman Cody Lindell (East Cranston, R.I.).

Freshman Billy Whaley (Northfield, Vt.) then singled to bring home Doyle, and the Cadets were out to a 2-0 lead.

Norwich made it 4-0 in the third inning when Dustin Shimkus (Collinsville, Ill.) and Doyle singled with one out before Lindell brought home his second run of the day with another single. Whaley added another single to bring home Doyle again.

Whaley was brilliant on the mound as well, tossing six innings, allowing just five hits and two unearned runs. Freshman Brian Whaley (St. Louis, Mo.) took over for his cousin in the top of the seventh with two runners on and no one out. But the burly righthander got a grounder and two flyouts to end the game and give Norwich a 4-2 victory.

The nightcap remained tied at two until the bottom of the ninth inning when freshman John Flanagan (West Groton, Mass.) singled and moved to third on a double by Charles Schaub (East Hampton, Conn.) before Gerich knocked home Flanagan on a single past a drawn-in infield to win the game for the Cadets.

Senior Sam Philbrook (Rochester, Mass.) started the game for Norwich, going 4.2 innings and allowing just two runs. Junior Scott Yashinski (Kintnersville, Pa.) worked 1.1 innings in relief, including getting out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the top of the fifth.

Brian Whaley got the win, throwing three scoreless innings in relief. He worked in all four games on the weekend.

Norwich's first two runs scored in the third inning when Flanagan and Schaub both singled, advanced a base on a passed ball, and then scored courtesy of a Gerich single and an error.

--CADETS--