AUBURNDALE, Fla. — Southern Vermont College held on for a 6-3 win over Alfred State College Wednesday morning to conclude the Mountaineers' participation in the RussMatt Baseball 2015 Central Florida Invitational.
SVC finishes the visit 3-2, the best winning percentage for the team in a spring break trip; the Mountaineers are now 4-3 overall on the season. The Pioneers fall to 0-7 on the year with the loss.
Mountaineer junior second baseman RJ Pingitore (Amsterdam, New York) continued his solid season, extending his hitting streak to six games with a 2-4 performance at the dish; he added a walk, two RBIs and a run scored to his line. Senior first baseman Cody LaBadia (Howes Cave, New York) went 1-4 with a walk, two runs batted in and another two runs scored while junior shortstop Richard Rios (Pico Rivera, California) was 2-4 with an RBI. SVC stole eight bases on the day with Pingitore, Rios and senior center fielder Sal Sciara (Massapequa, New York) each swiping a pair.
ASC senior center fielder Jordan Wheaton (Wayland, New York) was 2-4 for the Pioneers, knocking in two runs in the effort. Sophomore designated hitter Jose Martinez (Queens, New York) and sophomore Chris Borden (Glenville, New York) each went 2-4 with Martinez adding an RBI to his line.
Southern Vermont senior Dustyn Marfyak (Torrington, Connecticut) picked up his first win of the season (1-1), allowing just one earned run (one unearned) on seven hits; he struck out four Pioneer batters in his six innings of work. Alfred State freshman Rafael Perozo (Bronx, New York) took the loss (0-1) after giving up just two runs on two hits in 3.2 innings on the hill.
SVC started the scoring in the top of the third with a single run, just to have Alfred State answer with one of its own in the bottom half to tie it up. Southern Vermont tacked up one more in both the fourth and fifth innings before ASC grabbed one in the sixth to close the gap. The Mountaineers got some breathing room with three in the seventh, and Alfred State could only put one across in the ninth for the 6-3 final.
Southern Vermont was only able to get a lone runner on base in the top of the first via an Alfred State infield miscue, and Pingitore would then be stranded at second after stealing his way to scoring position. The bottom of the inning saw Marfyak strikeout the first two Pioneer batters before Wheaton made solid contact for a single up the middle. The Mountaineer righty then retired the side by way of the K with a nice looping curve to get Franz waving at strike three.
Rios led off the second with a frozen rope to center and made his way to third through the inning with a pair of stolen bases. That would be the furthest he'd get, however, as two Perozo strikeouts helped get the Pioneers back in the dugout. Rios then started the bottom of the frame with an assist when he charged a slow hopper to short, corralled the ball and threw to first on the run in time to get the batter. The junior shortstop almost followed with another great play as senior right fielder Ryan Hierlwimmer (Livonia, New York) lined one into the outfield just over Rios' leaping grab attempt. Following another Marfyak strikeout, junior third baseman Jordyn Confer (Williamson, New York) blooped one into shallow center to put ASC runners at the corners, but Rios ended the frame when he ran back and to his right to snag a soft liner headed for left.
Sciara worked a walk to get himself aboard in the third and moved around on a stolen base and sacrifice fly to center off the bat of senior designated hitter Chris Nicastro Jr. (Kenilworth, New Jersey). Pingitore then roped a single down the line in left to plate Sciara before getting gunned out by sophomore left fielder Austin Baker (Canisteo, New York) as he tried to stretch it out to a double. Alfred State tied it up right away in the bottom of the box after senior second baseman Dylan Lewis-Ellison (Rexville, New York) laid a bunt down to third and reached on a Mountaineer error. He advanced to second on a ball in the dirt and moved up to third on a Borden single to left, just over Rios' glove once again. Wheaton then came to the plate and soared one out to center, deep enough for Lewis-Ellison to tag and beat Sciara's throw to the plate for the tying run.
Southern Vermont responded with another lone run in the fourth to regain the edge after a lead-off walk to LaBadia came back to hurt Perozo. The Mountaineer captain moved around to third on a pair of SVC ground outs and then made his way across the dish on a wild pitch sent to the backstop. Southern Vermont threatened to put up more as freshman left fielder Eric Fields (Lakewood, California) and sophomore catcher Anthony Mercuri (Ridge, New York) both walked and subsequently pulled off the double steal to put the pair in scoring position, but Alfred State sophomore reliever Ryan Hedges (Arkport, New York) got SVC freshman third baseman Jake Sisk(Tallahassee, Florida) to fly one to deep right for the final out.
Marfyak was able to retire the Pioneer side in order, soliciting three ground outs to send the Mountaineers back to the plate. Mid-inning dramatics ensued as ASC head coach Jason Cronin came out to argue that LaBadia had come off of the first base bag while stretching to grab the third out; the home plate umpire was not open for discussion, tossing Cronin from the game after the skipper refused to go back to the dugout as the ump had directed.
Southern Vermont added a piece of insurance in the top of the fifth on a pair of doubles down the line in left. Sciara started the inning with his two-bagger before Pingitore continued his hot hitting in Florida with another RBI shot that gave SVC the 3-1 upper hand.
Lewis-Ellison led-off the bottom of the fifth with a seeing-eye single up the middle that found its way through the diving Rios and Pingitore, but he would be erased as the SVC middle infield spun a nice double play to end the inning after Sciara tracked down a deep fly to center while battling the sun.
After SVC went down quickly in the top of the sixth, ASC came back to put one up in the bottom of the frame to make it a one-run game. Junior catcher Nicholas Padley (Buffalo, New York) knocked a double out to the fence in right center, and Martinez was able to bring the runner around with a single to left. The inning ended when Martinez headed for second as Fields' throw to home; Mercuri caught the ball and sent it right down to Pingitore who applied the tag to Martinez, just after Padley touched the plate for the run to count.
With SVC holding its 3-2 lead into the seventh, the Mountaineers got some separation with two outs. Nicastro walked to get on and advanced with a passed ball and a wild pitch. After Pingitore walked to put runners at the corners, he was able to move up on another pitch in the dirt. LaBadia came through with a big hit, slapping a double to the gap in left center for a two-run double. He then came in to score when Rios knocked a single out to left for the 6-2 advantage.
Alfred State was able to work runners to the corners in the bottom of the inning, but SVC junior reliever Chris Bradt (Glenmont, New York) worked out of the jam with a fly out to center to preserve the lead. Southern Vermont was not able to take advantage of having runners on second and third as Mercuri was mowed down at home on a grounder to third before Sisk was put away at the plate in an attempted double steal with Mountaineers on the corners. Bradt made quick work of the Pioneers in the bottom of the eighth, sitting down the side in order with help from a pair of strikeouts.
SVC couldn't increase its lead in the ninth as the Mountaineers went down in order. With one last chance, Alfred State made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth. A Martinez double down the left field line started the box, and he then moved up to third on a Confer ground out. A strikeout put SVC that much closer to the win, but that's when the Pioneers loaded the bases with a plunked batter and a walk. Wheaton hit a ball down to third and was able to leg out a single for a run to cross and the potential winning run to come to the plate. The ASC hopes were dashed, however, as sophomore first baseman Cullen Franz (Cazenovia, New York) chopped one down to LaBadia who trotted over to first for the unassisted put out that wrapped up the 6-3 win.
SVC now heads back the Northeast to begin New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) play on Saturday, hosting Daniel Webster College for the Mountaineers' home-opening doubleheader that starts at 1 p.m. Alfred State next faces off with Hamilton College for a Florida twin bill set to begin at 9:30 a.m.