March 9, 2023

Falcons flies high in Thursday's slate

More news about: Fitchburg State
No. 5 Rowan scored four runs in the fifth inning to earn a 13-9 win over No. 23 Aurora in the first game of the Profs' Florida trip, at the RussMatt Invitational at Sanford Memorial Stadium. Rowan is 4-0 on the year. Dylan Maria (pictured) hit a two-run home run and threw the final inning in relief.
Rowan athletics photo by Lee Kotzen


Fitchburg State defeated the Mavericks of Medaille, 5-3 this morning in non-conference action at the Lake Myrtle Field #7 on day six of the RussMatt Invitational. The Falcons rallied to knot the score at 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh as junior Maxwell Kelly singled to left, stole second and scored on a two-run blast over the left field fence by senior Zachary Malek. They then took the lead in the following frame when sophomore Matthew Smith walk, pinch runner Jaime Velez stole second, while junior Matthew Kelly and Max Kelly drew back-to-back walks to load the bases before Eramo ripped a two-run double through the left side, resulting in the 5-3 victory.

What started out as a pitcher's duel turned into a slugfest as No. 20 Marietta knocked off No. 17 Cortland, 12-6, Thursday afternoon at the Lexington County Baseball Stadium. The score remained tied, 2-2, heading into the sixth inning as both starting pitchers turned in strong performances. Marietta rallied for six runs in the top of the sixth. Cortland answered with four runs in the bottom of the frame but Marietta scored four insurance runs in the eighth. Trent Valentine (1-0) started and threw 5.1 innings for the win. He allowed four runs on eight hits, walked two and struck out two. Gabe Torres worked 0.2 of an inning and was charged with two runs on two hits with a walk.

Heidelberg ended its five-game skid as they knocked off the Dean College Bulldogs, 13-1. A six-run third inning and a strong seven inning performance from hurler Dylan Matusak was the key to victory for The Berg. Matusak threw a gem -- going seven full innings, yielding two hits and fanning a career-high 11 in the win. Geidelberg struck first in the second inning and poured it on in the top of the third. The top of the ninth saw HU add two insurance runs following a Cort Kramer pinch-hit double that helped seal the 13-1 victory. Five Heidelberg players had a multi hit game. Andrew Pokley had three hits while also tallying three RBI. Sauer tallied three hits, as well.

Hood College Tyler Schwarzman and Cristian Reyna both tied the school's single game record with four stolen bases and the Blazers got home runs from Cameron Day and Matthew Stout in a 19-4 win at Albright in Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth play. Schwarzman and Reyna tied a record set by Daniel Shepherd in 2018 and tied by Andrew Wenner in 2019 with their four steals. The Division III single game high this season is five by Fitchburg State's Liam Goldstein and Western Connecticut's Nick Lepere. Schwarzman went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, while Reyna had two hits, two RBIs and scored twice. Declan Sullivan started the game for the Blazers and threw four complete innings, allowing three runs with only one earned on four hits. The first-year student walked three and struck out four. Mason Sawyers received the win in relief for the Blazers. He allowed only one hit in a scoreless sixth inning.

Duncan Weir knocked in Kenny Palmieri with the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth to give Lebanon Valley a thrilling 5-4 victory over Rhode Island College on Thursday morning in Port Charlotte. Logan Brewer led off the bottom of the ninth with a single up the middle. Palmieri pinch ran for Brewer and advanced to third on a Nico Santoro single through the left side that was just out of the reach of the shortstop. Weir then recorded his first hit of the day with a single to left field setting off a celebration from the bench.

Eastern Nazarene extended its winning-streak to four
straight games, defeating La Roche 14-5 Thursday in
its final game at the Ripken Experience.
Eastern Nazarene athletics photo

No. 13 Catholic scored 11 runs in the final three innings of Thursday afternoon's contest to earn an 11-2 win over Coast Guard, the team's fifth straight victory. Nine different Cardinals recorded a hit while Danny Fitzgerald and Cormac Terry were stellar on the bump to help Catholic remain unbeaten in Myrtle Beach this week. Fitzgerald scattered five hits across seven innings to earn his first win of the season while Terry pitched a pair of scoreless innings to earn his first save of the year.

Saint John's (Minn.) found three the charm as their third lead of the game held true in an 8-7 win over Hiram on Thursday. The Johnnies (4-4) posted leads of 3-0, 5-4 and 8-5, and held on for their third-straight victory. SJU collected 15 hits, including six doubles and a triple, and batted 6-for-11 (.545) with runners in scoring position and 9-for-17 (.529) with two outs in the win. Seven of the team's eight RBI came with two outs. Sophomore Kade Bowar earned his first collegiate win, allowing one run on three hits in three innings of relief. Soeffker was credited with his first collegiate save. Starter Vinny Schleper gave up four runs (one earned) on six singles in his collegiate debut. He struck out seven and walked one in 4.1 innings. Becker and Nyrop each went 3-for-5 at the plate for SJU.

Rivier swept Lancaster Bible College in non-conference play today, 3-2 and 10-5, with game one ending in a walk off. In game one, the Raiders would go on to plate two runs in the bottom of the seventh to walk it off. After a Frank Gulezian single and a wild pitch, he got into scoring position. A walk later, White would lay down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move the two runners over. Now, with one out, Rivier had a runner, a second, and third. John Canto (Harwich, MA) would plate the tying run on a Sacrifice fly. The winning run would come around to score on the same play. While trying to advance to third, the cutoff man overthrew third base trying to get another out. In game two, Lancaster would add on their final run in the bottom of the inning to make the score 5-3 after four. The very next inning, the Raiders would plate seven to get the final of 10-5. The inning consisted of six walks, two hits, and a passed ball. Sam Kalivas pitched a complete game, going all seven innings allowing eight hits, five earned runs, and two strikeouts. Kalivas earned the win, the first of his Collegiate career.

Haverford registered its second consecutive victory at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic on Thursday, taking a nine-inning triumph from Bluffton by a final score of 13-4. The Fords improved to 3-4 overall on the young season with an emphatic nine-run win at Tery Park. The top story of the day was the performance from first-year Drew Doyle on the mound. Doyle put forth a standout effort, logging 7.2 innings, allowing just four hits while striking out five Bluffton batters. Doyle held the Beavers completely in check for his first seven frames, as he was perfect through the fourth inning before a leadoff single from Justin Maurer to lead off the Bluffton fifth.

Rochester scored double-double runs for the fourth-consecutive outing, opening their three-game set against La Verne with an 11-9 win over the Leopards on Thursday afternoon at Ben Hines Field. The 'Jackets totaled 11 runs on 12 hits, with Aaron Whitley pacing UR with a four-hit afternoon, going 4-for-5 with a home run, double, two runs scored and an RBI, as UR tallied five extra-base hits, walked once and struck out just five times against La Verne. Karpishin (1-0) earned the win, allowing three runs, two earned, over 2.1 innings pitched, while Aaronson notched his second save of the year, allowing two hits over his inning of work.

Russell Sage College utilized a pair of four-run innings to defeat Cazenovia 8-4 this morning at Sanford Stadium. Senior outfielder James Lubanski, who took home Empire 8 Conference Player of the Week honors earlier this spring, had the big bat in the game as he finished the day 3-for-5 at the plate. Sophomore outfielder Brendan Espinal and Frank Colletta each recorded a pair of hits and an RBI in the win. On the mound, sophomore Liam Doyle allowed just three runs and struck out four across 5.1 innings to take the victory (1-2). From there, sophomore relievers Colby Phelps and Michael Karpinski combined to permit just two hits and two walks to lock down the first RSC win of the spring. Senior infielder Jack Lees provided Cazenovia (4-5) with three hits.

Saint Vincent's offense was on full display, as the Bearcats improved to 4-2 over their Florida spring break sojourn with a 24-6 victory over Ursinus. Junior Billy Perroz had four hits, finishing just a home run away from the cycle, while driving in a career-high eight RBIs, to lead a Saint Vincent offense that cracked 17 hits, drew a program-record 17 walks and scored at least one run in every inning. Perroz was one of five Bearcats to record a multi-hit game, as Kyle Belmont went 3-for-3, Jordan Sabol and Connor Bannias each 2-for-3 and Jimmy Davis 2-for-4. Davis and Belmont each scored four runs, while Bannias and Alex Hess both crossed the plate three times. Ursinus defeated Penn State-Altoona 5-1 earlier in the day.

Drew earned a pair of one-run victories and swept a doubleheader from Gordon on Thursday during the squad's spring break to Florida, pushing its winning streak to nine games. The Rangers (9-1) won the opener 7-6 in eight innings when sophomore Will Fritch drew a game-ending walk, then posted a wild 11-10 victory in the nightcap in which sophomore Raiden Yost singled home the game-winning run in the top of the seventh. The Rangers have now posted what is believed to be the longest winning streak in one season in team history, as they bested the 2017 squad's eight-gamer. Yost and junior Anthony Diaz each enjoyed big days at the plate for Drew, as both finished 4-for-6. Yost also scored the game-winning run in the opener and posted three RBIs in the nightcap while Diaz scored four runs on the day.

Defenders of Clarks Summit took on the Hawks of Hilbert Thursday morning as part of their annual Spring Break tournament. The Defenders picked up their first win of the season in a 7 – 6 thriller against the Hawks that came down to the wire. Michael McEachren came up with a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning to secure the win. As McEachren stepped into the batter's box, the score was tied 6 – 6. McEachren singled to left field, bringing the Eric Roberts home, and securing the Defender's first win of the season. McEachren had three hits on the day, bringing home three runners. Sawyer Deroche and Daniel Knight both ended with two hits. Nearly everyone in the hitting rotation came up with at least one hit, as the Defenders secured the 7 – 6 win.

Cal Lutheran won its seventh game in a row as the Kingsmen defeated Neb. Wesleyan 5-3 on Thursday afternoon. The Kingsmen improved to 8-2 on the season as they broke up their week with a non-conference matchup. They jump back into conference play this weekend. Cal Lutheran used seven pitchers as many Kingsmen saw action. Cameron Cooper started the game and went 2.0 innings with two strikeouts and two walks. Milan Bugarin got the win as he went the next three innings with two hits and a strikeout. Bryan Tierney, Noah Matsumoto, Clay Rickerman, Tristan Dupont, and Gregory Pimentel pitched the final five innings. Pimentel pitched the ninth, got the save, and struck out two.

After trailing 6-1 through three, Fontbonne scored eight unanswered runs in the come-from-behind 9-6 win over Concordia Chicago. The Cougars led 4-0 after the top of the second, but in the bottom half of the inning the Griffins got on the board when Gavin Kinworthy tripled to right allowing Thomas Purschke to score. CUC scored two more in the third extending its lead out to 6-1. However, in the fourth with two on and two outs, Carter Lee belted his team-leading third homer on the season cutting the deficit down to 6-4. After a fly-out to start the fifth, the Griffins got three straight singles from Dalton Groves, Colby Shivers, and Matt Helm to load up the bases. Ty Kueper followed reaching base on a fielder's choice allowing Shivers and Groves to score and tie the game. In the sixth, the Griffins plated two more runs without recording a hit thanks to back-to-back bases loaded walks giving them an 8-6 lead. That proved to be more than enough for Vonner Panek who was dealing out the pen tossing 5.2 innings of shutout ball. Fontbonne tacked on another run in the eighth and David Howard got the save in the ninth for the win.

Elizabethtown picked up two more wins as they near the end of their spring break trip this afternoon. The Blue Jays breezed past Northwestern (Minn.), 16-3 before edging Gettysburg, 10-7. In game one of the day, the Elizabethown Blue Jays blew past the Northwestern Eagles, 16-3. In game two, Gettysburg struck first scoring three runs in the first and a fourth in the second to lead, 4-0. Elizabethtown found their swing in the middle innings and transformed a 4-0 deficit to a 9-6 lead. Both teams would add a run for the final total.

Bethany's winning streak extending to five after defeating Penn College 8-3 at the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, Thursday afternoon. The Bison struck first in the bottom of the first inning after CJ Owens drove in Devin Toothman. The lead was short lived as the Wildcats knotted the game 1-1 in the top of the second and later took the lead in the fourth inning. Bethany's Riley Brendel hit a three-run homerun to give the Bison a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth. The Bison added two runs in the fifth after Josh Speaker doubled to score Blake Connelly and Speaker would later score on a balk. The Bison would add another insurance run in the sixth with Owens driving in Mike Hines. The Wildcats added a run in the seventh on a homerun and threatened the Bison with bases loaded but were unable to capitalize.

Monmouth earned a sweep on Thursday as they beat Wheaton (Ill.) 5-4 in the opener and knocked off Thiel 3-1 in the nightcap. The Scots are now 3-5 on the season with one game left in Florida. Jeff Garrett got the start against Wheaton College in the opener. Garrett allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits over seven innings of work. He walked two and struck out three. Owen Wolfe threw two shutout innings to earn his first college save. He ended the game with a strikeout looking as the Thunder had the tying run on second base. In the second game, Addison Fletcher got the start for the Scots against Thiel College. Fletcher (2-0) got the win as he struck out eight over eight innings while Nicholas Corman turned in a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his first save of the season.

Playing in their first of eight games as part of their spring break trip to Florida, UMass Boston used an all-around effort from the offense and a scoreless six inning start from senior pitcher Tim Cianciolo to defeat Loras in the opening game of the RussMatt Baseball Tournament, 9-2, on Thursday night. Throwing 95 pitches across six innings, Cianciolo followed up his four inning outing against MIT with a six-inning shutout, allowing just two hits while striking out four batter and walking five to keep the Beacons in control. Drew Metzdorf finished 3-for-5 with a double and also scored three times. Nick Palma led the offense with a 3-for-5 performance, including a double, and two RBIs. UMass Boston has now started their season 3-0 for the second consecutive year. Head Coach Brendan Egyabroat earned his 397th career win, moving within three wins of the 400 career mark.

For the fourth consecutive game, New Jersey City's offensive attack has come alive. The Gothic Knights took an early lead against John Jay on Thursday afternoon at Caven Point Field and then used a massive 13-run third inning to top the Bloodhounds by a final score of 21-6. Overall, NJCU notched 14 hits and drew a combined 15 free bases on walks or hit-by-pitches. The Green and Gold (4-1) were led initially by senior Julian Fernandez, who went 5.0 innings in his first appearance and start of the season. The right-hander struck out seven batters and allowed just three hits and one earned run to nail down the victory. On the backend of the bullpen, rookie Mike Napolitano was dominant. He finished with 3.0 innings of work and allowed just two hits to pick up the first save of his collegiate career. Offensively, 15 of the 17 NJCU batters that saw time in the box against John Jay (1-7) reached base safely, including six with multiple RBI.