Hamilton College's Matt Cappelletti '21 scored the winning run on a passed ball as the Continentals pulled out an 11-10 non-conference victory against the St. Lawrence University Saints at Hamilton's Loop Road Baseball/Softball Complex on Tuesday.
The game was shortened to seven innings due to showers and rapidly-fading daylight. Hamilton (14-14 overall) scored five unearned runs on two errors and stole seven bases. St. Lawrence (6-22) was able to take advantage of 10 walks and four hit batters. The Continentals also had four batters hit by a pitch.
Cappelletti led off the bottom of the seventh inning by getting hit by a pitch and stole second base. He went to third on a wild pitch and slid across the plate with the winning run on a passed ball that glanced off the catcher's glove and sailed to the backstop. Cappelletti finished 2-for-2 with a home run and drove in three. The homer was his first this year and the third of his collegiate career.
Hamilton's Kenny Gray '20 (2-2) pitched the seventh and picked up the win. Anthony Ferraro (0-4) allowed just the one unearned run on one hit and struck out five in two-plus innings of relief.
Gavin Schaefer-Hood '21 went 2-for-2 with a walk and had two runs batted in for the Continentals. Matt Zaffino '21 singled twice and Brady Slinger '22 drove in two runs. Ethan Wallis '21 tripled and is tied for the NESCAC lead with five. Jamie Hauswirth '22 got the start on the mound and threw two hitless innings.
The Saints were led by Andrew Circelli, who singled, doubled and drove in a pair of runs. Taylor Digilio, Alex Black and Joe DeGuardia added two runs batted in each. DeGuardia went 1-for-1 with two walks and was hit by a pitch twice.
Hamilton led 8-0 after two innings and 10-1 through four. Hauswirth set St. Lawrence down in order in the first and the Continentals came up with five runs on just two hits, two hit batsmen, a walk and an infield error. Two runs scored when Rich Marooney '21 reached on a throwing error by the shortstop. Slinger plated two more runs on a single to left field and Cappelletti's sharp single up the middle drove in Slinger.
Hamilton added three more runs in the second inning. Wallis led off with a triple to left center and scored on a single up the middle by Nate Goodman '20. Schaefer-Hood drove in two more runs with a single through the right side.
The Saints got one back in the third when they scored on a double play with the bases loaded. Zaffino made a great throw from third base to first on the run to turn the double play.
Cappelletti put the Continentals up by nine in the fourth inning. Schaefer-Hood led off with a single to center and with two outs, Cappelletti hit a screaming line drive just over the fence to the right of the left-field foul pole.
St. Lawrence scored two runs in the fifth with a two-out rally and added another in the sixth on two hit batters and two walks. The Saints completed the rally with six runs in the top of the seventh. The first three St. Lawrence batters drew walks to load the bases and the Saints were then able to string together four straight one-out hits.
Hamilton has a big three-game NESCAC West Division series against Williams College (17-7) coming up this weekend at home. The opener is scheduled for Friday, April 26 at 4 p.m.