Port Charlotte, Fla. – Keystone College's baseball team opened its spring break trip with a pair of wins at the Snowbird Classic in Florida on Friday.  The Giants defeated the John Carroll University 11-9 in the opener before edging Rhodes College 3-2 in the nightcap to level its record at 2-2 on the season.     
 
Game 1 vs. John Carroll
 
In Friday's opener against John Carroll (4-5), Keystone jumped out to a 3-0 lead in their first at-bats of the game as Sebastian De La Cruz (Port Jervis, N.Y./Port Jervis) delivered a two-run double to left center before coming home on an error by the Blue Streaks.
 
John Carroll scored an unearned run in the bottom of the first, but the Giants countered with four runs on five hits in the visitor's second to open up a 7-1 advantage.  Anthony Ferrezza (East Islip, N.Y./East Islip), Bray Curreri (Eldred, N.Y./Eldred Central), Brady Barr (Bowie, Md./Bowie), and De Le Cruz each had RBI hits in the inning.
 
The Blue Streaks got a pair of runs back in the home second before making it a 7-4 ballgame in the third inning, but Keystone answered with two runs in the top of the fourth inning, getting a RBI base hit from De La Cruz followed by a bases-loaded walk by Ryan Callahan (Highland Mills, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury). 
 
John Carroll scored a pair of runs in both the home fourth and fifth to cut its deficit to 9-8, but the Giants added a pair of insurance runs in the visitors seventh as De Le Cruz hit and RBI triple before coming home on an error with Keystone's 11^th run. 
 
The Blue Streaks got a run back on a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning and put the tying runners on base before the Giants were able to shut the door on their first win of the season.
 
De La Cruz went 4-5 with five RBI to power Keystone while Ferrezza, Curreri, and Brady Barr (Bowie, Md./Bowie) collected two hits apiece in the win.
 
Keystone starting pitcher Billy Nelson (Moscow, Pa./North Pocono) picked up the win after yielding four earned runs on four hits while striking out three batters in four innings of work.  Pat Meagher (Wall Township, N.J./Wall) allowed a pair of unearned runs on two hits in one inning before handing the ball off the Tyler Widitz (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg), who fanned four batters while yielding just one run on seven hits in the final four innings on the hill.
 
Patrick Keohane led John Carroll with three hits and three RBI while Derek Penman added three hits.
 
Fred Moore took the loss after allowing nine runs on nine hits in 3.1 innings while the Blue Streaks used a pair of relievers to get through the remainder of the game.
 
Game 2 vs. Rhodes
 
In Friday's second game against Rhodes (8-9), the Giants rallied to overcome a 2-1 deficit to edge the Lynx, 3-2.   
 
Rhodes took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning, but Keystone tied the game up in their half of the frame when Matt Fisch (Springbrook Township, Pa./North Pocono) drove in Brady Barr (Bowie, Md./Bowie) with a sacrifice fly.
 
The Lynx went ahead in the visitor's third and held the 2-1 edge until the home seventh when the Giants plated a pair of runs.  Ferrezza drove in Brendan Long (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier) with a single to tie the game before Austin Chaszar (Bordentown, N.J./Bordentown Regional) scored the eventual game-winning run on an RBI base hit off the bat of Curerri.
 
Troy Terzi (Wallingford, Conn./Notre Dame ) picked up the win on the mound after going seven innings and allowing two runs on six hits while striking out six batters.  Dylan Leahy (Montgomery, N.Y./Valley Central) pitched a pair of scoreless innings to close out the victory while conceding just one hit.
 
De La Cruz, Long, and Chaszar led the Giants with two hits apiece in the win.
 
Jacob Dubs took the loss for Rhodes after allowing three runs on seven hits while fanning six in 6.2 innings. 
 
Ryan Palermo had a pair of hits for the Lynx in the loss.
 
Up Next
 
Keystone will take on Heidelberg University tomorrow starting at 10:00 a.m. in Port Charlotte.