| Crossing home plate was something the Hornets did in all but two innings in the opening game of the 2015 ODAC tournament. Shenandoah athletics photo |
Top-seeded Shenandoah opened up the 2015 ODAC Tournament Thursday morning with an 11-3 victory over sixth-seeded Eastern Mennonite. The Hornets set the tone as second-seeded Virginia Wesleyan defeated Roanoke 11-3 and Randolph-Macon was a 6-4 winner over Bridgewater (Va.). With rain forcast for the weekend, games has been moved up to finish the tournament as scheduled.
Top-seeded Saint Joseph's (Maine) handled fourth-seeded Lasell, 7-0, and third-seeded Suffolk went on the road to defeat second-seeded Johnson & Wales, 7-5 in second-round action of the 2015 GNAC Baseball Tournament. As a result, JWU and Lasell will be on the brink when the double-elimination portion of the bracket continues on Saturday morning at Holman Stadium in Nashua, N.H. Suffolk and Saint Joseph's (Maine) will match up in the second contest with the loser will square off against the winner of the Lasell-JWU matchup in another elimination contest.
Freshman Justin Nichols tossed a complete-game six-hitter and struck out three in his first collegiate start to lead Mass-Maritime to a 9-2 non-league victory over Wentworth at Commodore Hendy Field. Logan Sullo and Connor Kennedy each had two hits and two RBI in the win for the Buccaneers.
Sophomore first baseman Devin Van Winkle set one school record and tied two other standards in powering Ohio Wesleyan to a 12-7 non-conference win over Marietta at Littick Field. Van Winkle went 5-for-5, scoring 3 runs and driving in 8 runs. His 15 total bases broke the school record of 14. Van Winkle's 3 home runs and 8 RBI tied existing school game records.
After losing to Marian twice earlier this season, Ripon came out on top in their third and final meeting, defeating the Sabres 8-2. The Red Hawks never trailed in the game, recording 15 hits, while allowing five.
| Eric Egan has now recorded a base hit in 21 of the last 22 games. Union athletics photo |
After a four-run Skidmore first, the Union Dutchmen responded with eight unanswered runs to defeat the Thoroughbreds, 8-4, in a game that did not count towards the Liberty League standings. Eric Egan went 1-for-3, driving in a team-high three runs and stealing a season-high three bases. Jake Fishman extended his hitting streak to eight games, finishing 2-for-2 at the plate. It was his 16th multi-hit game of the season and increased his Division III leading batting average to .543.
Neumann defeated Wesley 17-5 in non-conference action. Matt Sheneman led the Knights with five RBI and two homeruns. Buddy Elgin and AJ Koscelansky, Cody MacNair hit his first collegiate home run in the sixth inning.
Tommy Kocur continued his hot streak leading Penn State Behrend with a 5-for-9 effort at the plate with 5 RBI's against Medaille in AMCC action. The Lions offense was clicking on all cylinders as they took both games of the doubleheader by a scores of 8-2 and 13-2. Kocur was an offensive dynamo for Behrend and set the tone early in game one with a bases clearing 3-RBI double that gave the Lions a 5-0 lead in the top of the second. He also added an RBI single in the fifth to finish the game with four RBI's.
Rochester erupted for seven runs on seven hits in the fifth inning and went on to a 13-4 victory over D'Youville at Towers Field. That broke open what had been a close ballgame through the first four innings.
The St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) got a outstanding performance on the mound from Mitch Brigando as they defeated the Merchant Marine Academy, 9-1, at Lower Roosevelt Field. The sophomore starter pitched a complete game, his third on the season, allowing just one run on six hits to improve his team-best record to 6-1 on the season. This is the first time the Bears have beaten the Mariners in school history, dropping the previous six meetings dating back to 2009.
Senior Charles Thielmann fired a complete game shutout to help Kean edge Rowan 1-0 in the first of a home-and-home NJAC series. In a classic pitchers' duel that last only one hour and 53 minutes, it was the Cougars who found a way to push across what would be the only needed and produced run of the afternoon. With two outs in the top of the eighth, junior Matt Meleo laid down a bunt down the third base line. The third baseman playing back was unable to complete the play putting Meleo on first. Sophomore Tyler Heisch then delivered the first pitch he saw into the gap recording a triple and driving in what would be the only run of the day.
| Anthony Searles' first home run of the season broke a three-game losing streak to MIT. UMasss-Boston athletics photo |
Trailing by one with two outs in the bottom of the eight inning, sophomore catcher Anthony Searles hit a go-ahead two-run homer, to lift UMass Boston past host MIT at Briggs Field. Searles' two-run homer gave the Beacons a 6-5 advantage and senior Josh Cummiskey closed the door on the Engineers in the ninth, to record his team-leading third save of the season.
Bolstered by a five-run third inning, Elizabethtown scored the first seven runs to defeat Franklin & Marshall by a 7-2 score and give head coach Cliff Smith the 198th win of his career. Dylan Manning went 6.2 innings in all, allowing five hits, two runs (one earned) and striking out three in improving to 3-1 on the season.
Andrew Julkowski went 3-for-5 and drove in a run, leading the Augsburg College baseball team in a 2-0 win over the University of Northwestern-St. Paul in a nonconference game on Thursday evening at Reynolds Field.
Castleton's pitchers combined to give up just three hits and two earned runs in 16.2 innings pitched this afternoon en route to securing the season sweep over the Lyndon State Hornets with three victories at Spartan Field. The Spartans scored in the top of the ninth innings to secure a 2-1 victory in the opener before capturing the following two games by scores of 5-2 and 8-0.
The Rangers' bullpen closed out a brilliant effort by sophomore starting pitcher Kevin Skettini as the Drew won the Battle of Madison Avenue, 4-2, over rival FDU-Florham at Dodge Field. Sophomore third baseman Jonathon Rodriguez came up with the clutch hit in the top of the sixth inning, breaking a 2-2 tie with an RBI double to put the Rangers ahead in support of Skettini's solid start.
Billy Griffo scored on a wild pitch in the ninth inning to clinch a dramatic 13-12 victory for New York University against Centenary at MCU Park in Brooklyn. Griffo's run helped the Violets erase a three-run deficit in the final inning and earn their eighth win in their last nine games.