AUBURNDALE, Fla.--Tyler Fitzgerald came out of the bullpen to throw 6.1 innings of four-hit relief and the Keene State College baseball team scored seven times in the sixth inning for a 9-6 win over Bowdoin College on Thursday afternoon.
Records
- Keene State: 5-4
- Bowdoin: 1-3
How it Happened
The Owls spotted the Polar Bears a six run lead after three innings, then roared back to claim their fifth win of the year. RBI singles from Joe Gentile and Nick Sadler, and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Connor Lee gave Bowdoin a 3-0 lead in the second inning. The Polar Bears added three more in the third with an RBI single by Colby Joncas and a 2-RBI triple by Austin Zakow.
Keene State pulled two back in the fourth inning, getting a leadoff single from Nate Rossi and a double from Devin Springfield to start the frame. A passed ball allowed Rossi to score, and David Sevigny singled in Springfield to make it a 6-2 game.
The Owls pulled in front with a monster sixth inning, sending 13 batters to the plate and scoring seven times. As they did in the fourth, Rossi and Springfield had back-to-back hits to open the inning. Connor Walsh brought them both home with a double, and after Sevigny was hit by a pitch, Abe Grainger followed with a double of his own to move Sevigny to third base and bring home Walsh. Tom Meucci beat out a tapper to the pitcher to load the bases, followed by RBI singles from Connor Longley and Mac Struthers that put the Owls up for the first time in the game.
Rossi, batting for the second time in the inning, lifted a sacrifice fly to center for an 8-6 lead, and Springfield added an RBI single to complete the scoring.
Fitzgerald (2-0) came on for his fifth relief appearance of the year and scattered four hits, striking out three and giving up one earned run in 6.1 innings. Jake Morris started and went the first 2.2 innings, allowing three hits and striking out three.
Rossi and Springfield each had three hits and an RBI, and both scored twice, while Struthers and Meucci each had two hits.
Around the Horn
- The Owls have scored at least eight runs in all five of their wins this season.
- Rossi extended his hitting streak to eight games, raising his average from .370 to .419. After driving in nine runs in 37 games in 2017, the junior backstop has six in the Owls' first nine games this year.
- Sevigny, Springfield, and Walsh remain the only players to start every game for Keene State this season.
- Fitzgerald more than doubled his innings pitched thus far this year, after tossing 4.1 in his first four appearances.
Up Next
- The Owls' continue their Spring Break trip with a game against McDaniel College (Md.) on Friday at 9 a.m.
- Bowdoin meets William Paterson for a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 5:30 p.m.