PATCHOGUE, N.Y. (April 30, 2024) – Junior Liam DeRubertis recorded a grand slam in game one, while the team scored four runs in the eighth of game two, as the Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team defeated St. Joseph's Long Island 14-13 in game one and 5-1 (F/8) in game two Tuesday night in a non-conference doubleheader to wrap up the regular season.
Head coach Kristaps Aldins recorded his 300th career win with the game one victory. Already the program's leader in wins, Aldins has guided the Ducks to a 24-14 record so far this season. He had 277 victories coming into the year. His career winning percentage currently sits at .594 %.
Sophomore Jonah Swarts (1-0) earned his first career win in game one. He pitched five innings and allowed three runs on five hits. He struck out a career-high six batters.
Junior Joe Gonzalez (2-0) earned the win in game two. He pitched two innings and gave up just three hits. First-year Garret Wolf started and pitched six innings and gave up just one run. Junior Matt Villapiano pitched the final inning and gave up just one hit and had a strike out.
The Ducks (24-14) ended the regular season with two victories. The Ducks close out their non-conference slate with a record of 12-5. With the victories today, Stevens evens the series with the Golden Eagles, as each team is 10-10 all-time. St. Joseph's Long Island currently has a record of 26-10 with four regular season games remaining.
The Rundown (Game 1)
The Golden Eagles scored once in the bottom of the first to take the early lead.
Stevens tallied eight runs in the top of the third to explode into the lead. First-year Chip Krese, seniors Jack Irby and Christian Kreiser, and junior Zachary Boykin each recorded an RBI with no outs. In the next at-bat with the bases loaded, DeRubertis hit his first career grand slam as the Ducks went up 8-1.
St. Joe's got two back in the bottom of the third.
The Golden Eagles scored another in the bottom of the fourth to make it 8-4 Ducks.
First-year Garret Wolf hit a solo home run in the top of the fifth to extend the lead to five. Stevens then got two more runs with the bases loaded, as Kreiser walked in a run and Irby was hit by a pitch to bring home a run. Boykin picked up another RBI later in the inning, as the Ducks led 12-4.
The Golden Eagles cut the deficit to seven in the bottom of the fifth.
Stevens scored on a wild pitch in the sixth.
DeRubertis added to his RBI total with a sacrifice fly in the seventh as the Ducks took a 14-5 lead.
The Golden Eagles scored five in the bottom of the eighth to crawl back into the game.
St. Joe's scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth and had two runners in scoring position, but they couldn't bring them home as they fell just short of the comeback.
The Rundown (Game 2)
Stevens scored once off a wild pitch in the first, as junior Kevin Villares touched home plate to put the Ducks up 1-0.
St. Joe's tied things up in the bottom of the first.
After six scoreless innings between the teams, the Ducks scored four runs in the eighth to go ahead 5-1. After a strikeout to start the inning, DeRubertis and graduate student Ben Tobio each walked to put two runners on. Boykin then tripled to right field in the next at-bat as he emptied the bases. Senior Frank Tonina followed that up with a double to score Boykin. Tonina would later score on a wild pitch, as the Ducks went up four.
Top Performers
DeRubertis had five RBI, one hit, and scored twice.
Boykin tallied four RBI, two hits, and two runs.
Kreiser scored twice, picked up two RBI, and tallied a hit.
Wolf scored two runs, had three hits, and had an RBI.
Irby scored twice while adding a RBI and a hit.
For the Opponents
C.J. Rivera (1-1) took the loss in game one. He recorded zero outs in his appearance and he allowed six runs on three hits.
Dante Morabito (3-2) took the loss in game two. He pitched two thirds of an inning and allowed two runs on two hits.
Anselmo Joya recorded three hits and three RBI.
Mike DiFilippo scored three runs, had two hits, and picked up an RBI.
The Golden Eagles used seven pitchers in each game.
Around the MAC Freedom
Muhlenberg 5, DeSales 13
Centenary 9, FDU-Florham 6
Up Next
Baseball will be the #3 seed in the MAC Freedom playoffs and will take on #2 Arcadia in the first round. It will be a best two out of three series, with game one on Friday at 3:30 p.m., and game two on Saturday at noon. Game three (If Necessary) will take place shortly after game two finishes. Stevens went 2-1 against Arcadia this season, and is 6-11 all-time against the Knights all-time. Links for live stats and video will be available on stevensducks.com.