NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. – Scoring the most runs of its season so far, the Southern Vermont College baseball team won its New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) series opener with Dean College by an 18-7 clip Friday night at the New England Baseball Complex.
Down 6-2 in the top of the third, the Mountaineers rallied for seven runs which put them ahead for good. SVC added another three in both the six and seventh frames to gain some separation before notching three more for good measure through the final two innings.
Southern Vermont evens its league record at 2-2 (3-9 overall) with the win. SVC and Dean wrap up the series on Saturday with a 2 p.m. doubleheader to be held at Trinity College in Hartford.
Not only did the Mountaineer bats open up for their most runs this season, but Friday saw the team cross the plate more times than it has since a 28-2 win over the University of Maine at Presque Isle on April 13, 2015. It's also the most runs SVC has ever chalked up in a conference game.
Mountaineer senior Niko D'Agnese (Mahopac, N.Y.), who made his first collegiate start on the bump, had a stellar day from the batter's box as he went 5-6 with five RBIs and three runs scored. Sophomore first baseman Jordan Banks (Bristol, Conn.) was 2-4 with two doubles, a walk, two runs scored, and two runs batted in while classmate and left fielder Nate Hickey (Bristol, Conn.) had another 2-4 showing with three runs scored and an RBI.
After D'Agnese went the first four innings from the hill, freshman Dylan Ramirez (Orlando, Fla.) came in and tossed a stellar five frames of relief. Ramirez gave up no runs and just three hits to pick up his first collegiate win (1-1) while striking out three in the process.
A two-run homer and a two-run triple helped Dean go up 5-0 in the home half of the first, but SVC crossed the dish twice in the next box to trim its deficit. A second Bulldog dinger made it 6-2 going into the top of the third, but that's when the Mountaineer offense exploded for a lead they would not relinquish.
SVC was patient and used a pair of walks with the bases loaded to score its first two runs of the frame, and Banks then singled to right for a third run to cross the plate. Junior catcher Dan Mason (Bloomingdale, N.J.) followed with a two-run double to right, and a sacrifice fly from senior third baseman Rob Spatafore (Mahopac, N.Y.) allowed Banks to come across with what ended up being the game-winning score.
A sac fly saw Dean cut it to a 9-7 Southern Vermont edge in the fourth, but SVC would provide the rest of the night's runs en route to taking its first-ever win over DC. D'Agnese registered three RBI singles in the Mountaineers' last four trips to the dish, and Banks notched a run-scoring double in the top of the ninth to cap the scoring.
Ramirez retired the Dean side in order in both the eighth and ninth innings to close out his solid appearance and wrap up his first career victory.
– #LetsGoSVC –