Hamilton College's Zack Becker '16 was 3-for-3 with a double and two runs batted in and the Continentals bounced back to win the second game of a non-conference doubleheader against Colby College in Winter Haven, Fla., on March 25.
The Continentals (6-6 overall) held on to win Game 2, 9-6, after they dropped the opener, 13-0. Hamilton wraps up its Florida trip with the rubber game against Carroll University on Tuesday, March 26. The teams split Sunday's doubleheader as Carroll won the first game, 14-12, and Hamilton captured the second, 3-2.
In the second game, Hamilton scored five times in the fourth inning and held on for the win. Brian Ferrell '16 collected three hits, drove in one run and scored another. Gabe Klein '13 smacked his second career home run and Joe Jensen '15 crossed home plate three times and stole three bases.
Cole Dreyfuss '16 earned his second win this season. Dreyfuss scattered five hits and gave up four earned runs in five innings. Tommy Moriarty '14 pitched the final two innings and escaped a bases-loaded jam for his second save this season.
Nils Carlson recorded two of Colby's six hits and Tyler Starks drove in two runs with a double. Ian Bezahler kept the game close with two innings of scoreless relief work.
Hamilton jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top half of the first inning. Jensen led off with a walk, stole second and advanced to third on Becker's sacrifice bunt. He scored on a passed ball for the first run and Klein added another with his solo shot to right field.
Colby (3-1) tied it up with two runs in the bottom of the second on Starks' two-run double down the left field line. He was left stranded at second base and the score remained tied at 2-2 after two.
The Continentals broke it open with five runs in the fourth. Hamilton put the first two runners on base and Steve LaRochelle '14 hit an RBI single down the left field line. Ferrell followed with an RBI single to right center for a 4-2 lead. Jensen's fielder's choice allowed LaRochelle to score and, after he stole second base, Jensen came around to score on Becker's sixth double this year. Becker scored the final run of the inning after consecutive wild pitches.
Some base running mistakes by the Mules in the bottom of the fourth kept Hamilton's lead intact. Tyler Reinhold '15 threw out a would-be base stealer, and Dreyfuss nabbed a comebacker and got the force out at third base.
Hamilton tacked on two insurance runs in the sixth inning and built a 9-2 lead. Ferrell and Jensen led off the inning with singles. With runners on the corners Jensen stole second base, and an errant throw by the catcher allowed Ferrell to score and Jensen to go to third. Becker's third hit of the game plated Jensen on the next play.
The Mules rallied with four runs in the bottom of the sixth. Carlson singled to start the inning, Tim Corey walked and both runners moved up on a wild pitch. Carlson scored on Nathan Ellis' single through the right side and Corey advanced to third. Peter McAuliffe was up next and reached on a fielding error that scored Corey. After Starks walked to load the bases, Ellis scored on a passed ball. Colin Cummings loaded the bases once again with a walk.
Moriarty entered the game and stopped the bleeding for the Continentals. Jason Buco reached on a fielder's choice and McAuliffe scored. With the Mules still threatening, Moriarty got Luke Duncklee to ground into a 6-4-3 double play and end the inning.
Moriarty came back out for the seventh inning. After he walked the first batter, he got the next one to fly out to Sam Fuentes '13 in right field, and Fuentes quickly tossed the ball back to first base and doubled up the runner. Moriarty then got the next batter to fly out to left and end the game.
In the opener, Colby scored nine runs in the first three innings and never looked back. Brady Hesslein tossed a seven-inning, five-hit shutout and struck out six for his first win this season. Duncklee led the Mules with three hits, two runs, two stolen bases and one RBI. Alec Finigan went 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored.
Colby's first five batters all reached safely and the Mules tallied four runs in the first. Buco singled and moved up to second on a wild pitch, and Duncklee drove him in with a single up the middle. After Duncklee stole second and Daniel Csaplar walked, Finigan singled to right to plate Duncklee. On the next at-bat, Ellis knocked in Csaplar on another single up the middle. Following a fielder's choice that moved Finigan over to third, McAuliffe singled off the pitcher, and Finigan came home.
The Mules picked up again in the second inning right where they left off with three runs for a 7-0 lead. Buco led off the inning with a single again, stole second and scored on Csaplar's single through the left side. Colby loaded the bases after Finigan reached on an error and Ellis walked, and Csaplar and Finigan sprinted home on passed balls.
Hamilton got two quick outs in the third inning after Starks led off with a hit by pitch. But Starks stole second base, Duncklee singled, he stole second and there were runners on second and third. Casplar loaded the bases after he was hit by a pitch, and Finigan's single up the middle drove in two for a 9-0 lead.
Colby nearly added more runs in the fifth and sixth innings, but the Hamilton defense stepped up. The Continentals escaped a bases-loaded jam without allowing a run in the fifth. The Mules put the first two runners on in the sixth, but a double play and a strikeout got Hamilton out of that situation.
The Mules tacked on four runs in the seventh. Jake Kramer reached on an error, and a single by Cummings and double by Andrew Currier brought Kramer around to score. John Garcia's groundout sent home Cummings, and Corey's pinch-hit double provided the last two runs for the Mules.