MARIETTA, Ohio – Sophomore Owen Davis singled in the winning run in the top of the eighth to lift the Johnson & Wales (RI) baseball team to an 8-7 win over No. 20 Marietta College Saturday evening in non-conference action at Pioneer Park.

Davis finished the contest 4-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored as the Wildcats (5-3) have won five of their last six games. Junior Gus Lappin, meanwhile, went 3-for-5 with a triple and an RBI while senior Miles Kelly and sophomore Ryan St. Jean each collected two hits and drove in a run.

JWU trailed 4-2 after three innings of play before a four-run fourth put them in front by two. Kelly opened the rally with an RBI single to right-center before Fortes RBI doubled plated freshman Jack Obert and knotted the game at four. Davis brought in two more with a double down the right field line to give the Wildcats their first lead of the game at 6-4.

Run-scoring singles from St. Jean in the seventh and Davis in the eighth made it an 8-6 lead for JWU. The Pioneers got one back in the eighth and loaded the bases with two down in the ninth, but freshman Brett Nickerson induced a game-ending ground ball.

Freshman Elijah Barber came on in relief of starter Ryan Schultz and allowed a pair of unearned runs in 3.2 innings of work to earn his first collegiate win.