HOBOKEN, N.J. (April 6, 2014) – The Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team split Sunday's Empire 8 Conference doubleheader with Ithaca College at Dobbelaar Field. Ithaca took Game One, 5-0, but Stevens bounced back to win the night cap 5-1.
The Ducks (11-7, 1-3) snapped the Bombers' (14-5, 3-1) 10-game winning streak with their win in the final game of the four-game conference series.
Game One: Ithaca 5, Stevens 0
Sophomore Jayson Yano (Foothill Ranch, Calif.) started Game One of the hill for Stevens and sat the Bombers down in order in the top half of the first. Yano worked out of a two-out jam in the second with a strikeout looking and two runners on before running into trouble his next trip out.
In the top of the third, Ithaca loaded the bases after an error, fielder's choice and a pair of singles. Colby Gee drove in the first run of the game on a single through the right side and then Stephen Yanchus picked up an RBI with another fielder's choice. A third run crossed the plate for the Bombers after Yanchus stole second and the throw down went into centerfield, which allowed Tim Henry to come home.
Stevens threatened in the bottom of the third to crack the scoreboard with the bases loaded and one out. After junior Marc Calleo (Bayville, N.J.), senior Curt Lowenstein (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) and sophomore Nicholas Sieber (Shrewsbury, Mass.) reached on a fielder's choice, single and error - in that order - the next two Ducks were unable to put the ball in play.
The Ducks once again loaded the bases in the fourth inning on three base hits from freshman Zeph Walters (Diamond Bar, Calif.), junior Gregg Nickels (Simpsonville, S.C.) and Calleo, but stranded all three and remained down in the opener, 3-0.
Ithaca knocked Yano out of the game in the fifth inning on three-straight hits with one out to take a 4-0 lead. Sophomore Ryan Patterson (Staten Island, N.Y.) entered in relief and retired both batters he faced to end the frame.
Yano completed his outing with four strike outs and eight hits allowed over 4.1 innings pitched. He gave up four runs, two earned, with a walk.
Patterson tossed 1.2 innings of hitless relief and struck out three. Freshman Will Korosec (Cream Ridge, N.J.) threw the final inning and gave up one run with two walks.
In the bottom half of the fifth, Stevens place its first two hitters on with singles, but an infield fly and double play ended the frame. Sieber led off with a base hit to shortstop and then freshman pinch hitter Garrett Wells (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) singled to third.
Ithaca added a run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly without the benefit of a base hit.
The Ducks outhit Ithaca, 9-8, but left 10 runners on base.
Game Two: Stevens 5, Ithaca 1
Sophomore Robert Robbins (Tallahassee, Fla.) tossed a masterpiece on the bump for Stevens to help salvage the split. Robbins lasted eight innings in a winning effort and scattered three hits with seven strikeouts. He needed just 100 pitches to maneuver through the Bombers' lineup.
The Bombers once again notched the first run in the fourth on an RBI base hit from Henry after Stanley doubled to lead off the stanza.
Stevens answered with two runs in the bottom of the fourth to take its first lead of the weekend series, 2-1. Yano got things started with a single to center and Mannello followed with a double down the right field line. Freshman Zeph Walters (Diamond Bar, Calif.) then picked up an RBI on a groundout and freshman Bret Viola (Carmel, N.Y.) drove in Mannello on a single to left-center.
The Ducks loaded the bases again in the sixth with one out and came through with three runs. Mannello walked before Walters and Viola singled to set up a basing-clearing double from Calleo to give Stevens a 5-1 lead and the eventual victory. Calleo's double knocked Ithaca starter Andrew Sanders out of the game, who went 5.1 innings and gave up 10 hits and five earned runs.
Ithaca only placed two runners on after the fifth inning.
Viola went 3-for-3 in Game Two, while senior Dan Allen (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) picked up two hits, with a double, in four at bats.
Senior Mark Poinsett (Ocean Gate, N.J.) fired the final inning in relief for the Ducks and struck out one.
Stevens tallied 11 hits in the night cap and hit .323 (20-for-62) as a team on Sunday, compared to .133 yesterday (10-for-75).
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