AUBURNDALE, Fla.—The Babson College baseball team wrapped up its spring break trip by splitting a pair of games at Lake Myrtle Park on Wednesday. The Beavers fell to third-ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater, 5-3, in their opener before rebounding with a 7-2 victory over Clarkson University.
The Green and White, which went 4-4 during its eight-game seven-day trip, is now 7-4 overall. Wisconsin-Whitewater is 1-0 on the year, while Clarkson is now 4-5.
GAME ONE: Wisconsin-Whitewater 5, Babson 3
Junior Eric Jaun (Loveland, Ohio) had two hits and drove in a run, while sophomore Sean Harrington (Walpole, Mass.) singled and reached base four times for the Beavers. Junior Michael Genaro (Greenwich, Conn.), who fell to 2-1 on the year, tossed a complete game allowing just one earned run while striking out three and scattering eight hits.
Sophomore Ben Wilkins (Sussex, Wis.) went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, while junior Matt Wary (Elk Grove, Ill.) finished with three hits and drove in one run for the Warhawks. Sophomore Connor Moroder (Pewaukee, Wis.) picked up the win after giving up one earned run in 3.0 innings in relief of senior All-American Heath Renz (Jefferson, Wis.), who gave up one hit while striking out six and walking six in five-plus frames.
Genaro and Renz dominated through five innings before Babson finally broke the scoreless deadlock in the top of the sixth when Jaun drove in senior Ryan Arena (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) with a single to right in the top of the sixth. The Beavers left the bases loaded though, and Wisconsin-Whitewater took advantage as Wilkins hit a three-run homer down the right field line with two outs in the bottom of the frame.
The Green and White rallied to tie the game in the eighth as sophomore Matthew Valente (Wyckoff, N.J.) drove in Harrington with a one-out knock to center, while Jaun singled and later scored on a two-out error to make it 3-3. Senior Daytona Bryden (Rockton, Ill.), who led off the bottom of the frame with a double, scored on a sacrifice fly, and Wary came through with a two-out RBI single through the left side to put the Warhawks back in front 5-3.
Harrington reached after being hit by a pitch with two outs, but Warhawks' sophomore closer Riley Gruetzmacher (Oconto Falls, Wis.) got a ground out to third with the tying run at the plate end the threat.
GAME TWO: Babson 7, Clarkson 2
Arena went 2-for-4 with three RBI and seven different players had multi-hit games as the Beavers snapped their four-game skid with a win over Clarkson. Valente had a pair of doubles, junior Connor Gill (Sterling, Mass.) was 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored, and classmate Edward Lehr (Byram Township, N.J.) had two hits and drove in a pair of runs in the win.
Sophomore Michael Nocchi (Manasquan, N.J.) gave up just one unearned run over four innings in his first start of the year, while senior Drew Petillo (Bridgewater, N.J.) picked up his first win of the season after tossing 2.1 innings of shutout relief. Sophomore William Gallagher (Kingston, Mass.) fanned a pair in the seventh and junior Max Tannenbaum (Coral Springs, Fla.) struck out the side in the eighth for the Beavers.
Senior Will Coleman (Potsdam, N.Y.) and junior Vincent Granuzzo (Lagrangeville, N.Y.) both had two hits for the Golden Knights. Senior Andrew Smith (Carthage, N.Y.) started and fell to 0-2 on the year after giving up three runs, two of them earned, on nine hits over 5.1 innings.
Gill doubled and scored on a Lehr sacrifice fly in the first, and the Green and White took the lead for good when sophomore Alex DiMartino (Mahwah, N.J.) drove in Valente with a single to center in the bottom of the fourth. Gill led off the fifth with an infield single and scored on a throwing error to make it 3-1, and junior Brian McHale (Ramsey, N.J.) tripled to start the seventh and scored on Arena's sacrifice fly one batter later to extend the margin to 4-1.
Babson tacked on three more insurance runs in the eighth, highlighted by Arena's second home run of the season, a two-run blast to left to make it 7-1.
Babson returns home to open conference play with a doubleheader at Clark on Saturday beginning at 12 p.m.
GAME NOTES
• McHale had his 20-game hitting streak snapped in Wednesday's loss to Wisconsin-Whitewater. His run is now the second longest in program history behind Dave Ahern's '11 24-game streak.
• Arena has at least one hit in six consecutive games, while Harrington and Valente have reached base in eight and seven straight games, respectively.
• Over his last two relief appearances, Petillo has allowed no runs on just two hits while striking out four in 5.1 innings.
• The Beavers are 5-1 this season when scoring at least six runs.