Hamilton College scored four runs in the final two innings, pounded out 17 hits and came from behind for a 10-7 non-conference victory over St. Lawrence University at St. Lawrence's Tom Fay Field on April 23.
The Continentals (13-18 overall) have won four of their last five non-conference games. Hamilton set a team record with 68 stolen bases this year.
Five players recorded two or more hits for the Continentals. Joe Jensen '15 went 4-for-5 with an RBI and his NESCAC-leading 28th stolen base. Gabe Klein '13 racked up three doubles and two RBI. Jared Friedberg '16 finished 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI. Friedberg entered the day with two plate appearances all year. Zack Becker '16 collected a double, two singles and scored three runs. Steve LaRochelle '14 tallied two hits and Colin Henneberger '14 chipped in two RBI.
Tommy Moriarty '14 made his team-high 23rd appearance and his first start on the mound this year for Hamilton. Moriarty allowed two earned runs on four hits in four innings. Mike Williams '16 (1-4) earned his first collegiate win as he gave up three runs on five hits and struck out two in three innings. Andrew Jaffoni '15 pitched two scoreless innings for his first save.
Bryan Palermo, Khifer O'Connor and Jeff Kott finished with two hits each for St. Lawrence, which lost its fifth straight game. Kott drove in two runs and O'Connor scored twice and stole two bases. Paul Piatelli and Chris Fernandez singled and knocked in a run.
Frank Grady started on the mound for the Saints and gave up eight hits and two runs in 3.1 innings. Andrew Weitzel (0-1) took the loss after he yielded two runs and two hits in one-third of an inning.
St. Lawrence (13-13) grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning when Fernandez singled to right, stole second, moved to third on a ground out and scored on Mark Syron's sacrifice fly. Hamilton bounced back with two runs in the top of the fourth. Klein doubled, Becker singled, and LaRochelle's infield single plated Klein. Friedberg followed with a double down the left field line that scored Becker.
The Saints took the lead right back with three runs in the bottom half of the fourth. O'Connor drew a one-out walk and Kott's single put runners on first and second. Piatelli tied the score with his single to right and Brian Magovney reached on an error that allowed Kott to score. Piatelli stole third base and made it 4-2 on Fernandez's sacrifice fly.
The Continentals responded again with four runs in the top of the fifth. Sam Fuentes '13 singled and Klein's one-out double put both runners in scoring position. Henneberger's two-run single tied it up and he later scored on an infield error for a 5-4 lead. LaRochelle's single put runners on the corners, and Friedberg grounded into a fielder's choice that plated Becker.
The Saints knotted the score with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and took a 7-6 lead in the seventh. In the fifth, Kott lined a two-out, two-run single to center that made it 6-6. A single by Palermo and a double by Franz put runners at second and third in the seventh, and O'Connor hit a sacrifice fly to right that gave St. Lawrence the lead.
Hamilton rallied with three runs in the eighth and added an insurance run in the ninth. The winning rally started with a leadoff walk to Friedberg. Friedberg was on third base with two outs when Jensen hit a single up the middle that tied the score. Jensen moved to second on a wild pitch, stole third and Fuentes drew a walk. Klein smashed his third double of the day and drove in a pair of runs that gave the Continentals the lead for good at 9-7.
Becker led off the ninth with a double, moved to third on a sac bunt and scored on Friedberg's single for the final margin. Jaffoni, who came on in the eighth inning, issued two walks in the bottom of the ninth and brought the tying run to the plate with two outs. But Jaffoni struck him out looking and clinched the win.
Hamilton returns home for a non-conference tilt with SUNY Canton on Thursday, April 25. The game time, originally slated for 4 p.m., has been pushed back to 4:30.