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| Trailing 3-2 with two out in the bottom of the eighth, Tommy Ajjan and Solomon Griffith hit back-to-back RBI triples to lift No. 20 Arcadia University, the No. 2 seed, to a 4-3 victory over No. 3 Stevens in game one of the 2024 Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom semifinals at Skip Wilson Field on Friday afternoon. Misericordia defeated DeSales 13-7 in the other MAC Freedom tounament game. Arcadia athletics photo |
The University of Lynchburg got off to a good start in its Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship defense on Friday, sweeping Bridgewater 9-4 and 5-2 in the first round. With the pair of wins, the Hornets advanced to the championship series hosted at Capital One Park in Tysons Corner, Va. Wesley Arrington kickstarted Lynchburg's sweep as he tossed 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball with eight Ks. He only allowed three hits but did walk five as he was lifted for Mason McDowell in the seventh. McDowell and Mack combined to close out the game. . In Game 2, the Hornets got another stellar pitching performance from their starter. Even though Nick Mattfield let up a run in the first, he eventually settled in and after a shaky start to the second, retired 12 of the next 13 batters he faced.
Junior Bere Bauers, the reigning ODAC Pitcher of the Week, allowed one earned run over 7.2 innings with nine strikeouts as the 20th-ranked and top-seeded Randolph-Macon edged eighth-seeded Washington and Lee 3-2 on Friday afternoon in Game 1 of their best-of-three quarterfinal series in the 2024 ODAC Championship. Bauers would exit after retiring two in the eighth. After surrendering an RBI double in the third, he retired the final 15 Generals he faced. He allowed three hits and walked one in raising his record to 3-2. Junior Sam Slevin recorded the final out of the eighth and tossed a scoreless ninth to notch his 10th save, a program record. He fanned the final batter looking to secure the victory.
The 2024 United East Skye Division tournament opened up on Friday afternoon at Christy Mathewson Field. To kick things off, Keystone College faced off against Rosemont and Keystone left the day with a 23-4 victory. Nate Ewing (Jersey Shore, Pa./Jersey Shore Area) went three for four at the plate with five total RBI coming from a two RBI single in the first, a one RBI single in the second, and a two RBI double in the third. Darren Hagan and Robert Estrada each contributed with three hits and two RBI. On the mound, Dylan Byler started the game and earned five strikeouts in 4.0 innings pitched. Fisher Sheffield (Kissimmee, Fla./Tohopekaliga) took over in the fifth and was credited with the win which is his first win of the season. The action continues Saturday at Christy Mathewson Field with Cairn and Rosemont. Following that game, Keystone and Wilson will play and the winner of that game will advance to the Championship game on Sunday. Wilson was a 3-0 winner over Cairn.
Senior right-hander Brandon Beard went the distance for the fifth time this season and pitched fourth-seeded Texas Lutheran to a 6-3 victory over top-seeded and ninth-ranked Trinity in the opening game of the 2024 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship on Friday afternoon. The Bulldogs jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the top of the second, but the regular season champs battled back to cut the margin to 4-3 after five. TLU, however tacked on two insurance runs in the top of the ninth to provide the final margin. Centenary (La.) will take on Texas Lutheran in the winners bracket final. Second-seeded Centenary got 7.1 strong innings from Cody Myers and the Gents held off third-seeded Southwestern, 6-4.
Lancaster Bible College squared off against the number two-seed Penn St. Abington Lions on Friday afternoon, a team which they had seen five previous times winning one of those matchups. A 10 run first inning and strong defensive performance helped propel the Chargers to a 16-3 win over the Lions to advance to the winner's bracket on Saturday. The Chargers tallied 21 total hits for 16 runs and 16 runs batted in. Brian Coburn, Dylan Witkowski, and Greenly all had three hits each. Greenly and Evan Sareyka had two home runs each. Greenly achieved his 200 career hits milestone while Hobdy and Witkowski eclipsed 100 career hits. The Chargers will play one-seed Penn St. Harrisburg. a 10-6 winner over St. Mary's College of Maryland.
Junior Chris Gibbs tossed eight innings of three-run ball on Friday, helping guide top-seeded Mitchell College team to a 15-6 victory over eighth-seeded Saint Joseph's College (Maine) in the opening game of Pod A play in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Tournament at Alumni Field. The Mariners (28-10) advance into the winner's bracket of the tournament, and will return to action on Saturday, May 4th, when they face #4 Colby-Sawyer College at 12:00 pm. The Monks (13-24) will look to fight off elimination when they play #5 Anna Maria College on Saturday morning, with first pitch scheduled for 8:30 am. Gibbs, a right handed pitcher, scattered 11 hits, walked nobody, and recorded a season-high nine strikeouts, en route to his conference-leading eighth win of the season. In their first Great Northeast Athletic Conference postseason competition in three years, Norwich opened double elimination competition against the hosts from Johnson & Wales. In the end, the Cadets would claim their first win in the GNAC Tournament since Apr. 27, 2000. In the seventh the Wildcats took advantage of a fielding error knotting the score. With the game hanging in the balance, the Cadets would take the lead for good in the eighth. With one down, Tyler Callahan singled, and would eventually move over to second. After a Garza walk, Ringer singled up the middle to bring home a sliding Callahan for the eventual winning run.
Fourth-seeded York Spartans overwhelmed top-seeded Messiah in Game One of the MAC Commonwealth Semifinal Series on Friday afternoon. The Spartans defeated Messiah 11-3 to earn the victory in Game One of the best-of-three series, but the Falcons rebounded with a 5-2 victory in Game Two to split Friday's doubleheader and force a winner-take-all Game Three tomorrow afternoon. In Game One, York jumped right out with three runs in the top of the first and never looked back, scoring in six of their nine trips to the plate. Messiah was limited to a solo home run by Luke Ott, an RBI groundout by Dylan Beard, and three runs with two-outs in the bottom of the ninth. In Game Two, Messiah fell into a 2-0 hole, but a five-run sixth inning flipped the game and gave the Falcons a lead. Dylan Beard highlighted the frame with a three-run homer down the left-field line to give Messiah a 4-2 lead. Luke Ott and Evan Wagaman also drove home runs in the game as Nathan Stein and Noah Barrell controlled the Spartans' offense. The winner advancing to the MAC Commonwealth Championship Series against the winner of Alvernia and Hood. Alvernia University (25-15) scored six runs in the first two innings en route to a 7-3 victory over Hood College (23-16) in game one of a MAC Commonwealth semifinal series Friday evening in Angelica Park. The Blazers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first but the Golden Wolves responded with four runs in the bottom of the first and then two more in the second to take a 6-2 lead. Hood then grabbed one back in the eighth but Alvernia answered yet again and tacked another on to secure the 7-3 victory in game one of the series.
Centre continued its late inning magic as the Colonels defeated the Rhodes Lynx 5-4 to advance in the winners' bracket of the Southern Athletic Association Tournament. Ben Prather led off the Centre eighth with a walk, an omen of things to come. After a fielder's choice, Michael Lynch andf Jaime Laframboise walked to load the bases, and a second consecutive two-out walk to Aaron Lopez drove in a run. Karson Thompson worked yet another walk bring in the tying run. Following the second Rhodes pitching change of the inning, Jackson walked to bring in Laframboise for the go-ahead run and a 5-4 Centre lead. David Kinsbrunner set the Lynx down in order in the ninth to lock up the victory for the Colonels. Centre will need just one win to advance to the NCAA playoffs and will face the winner of Rhodes and Hendrix. Hendrix was an 8-7 winner to eliminate Sewanee on Friday.
Brevard College (21-17) survived a late comeback effort from the Pfeiffer University Falcons (21-20), earning a 6-4 victory on Friday afternoon at Gil Coan Field to stay alive in the 2024 USA South Conference Baseball Tournament. The Falcons went on to knock off Methodist University (21-22) in game two of the afternoon, setting up a winner-take-all contest on Saturday at Gil Coan Field. The winner will take on the victor of the three-game series between top-seed North Carolina Wesleyan and four-seed Greensboro College in the 2024 USA South Conference Championship Series, held next Friday and Saturday, May 10-11 in a three-game format. Six different Tornados collected hits in Friday's matchup, with Cale Oehler connecting on a crucial two-run homer and Hayden Jennings adding a solo shot in the bottom of the eighth. Luke Morton and Frankie Vasquez each recorded RBI, while Jennings, Morton, Oehler, and CP Pyle all scored runs, with Logan Sawyer coming across twice. Pyle logged a double, and Vasquez lofted a sacrifice fly as well.
Ithaca College took both ends of a Liberty League Crossover Series doubleheader against Vassar at Freeman Field on May 3 as the Bombers posted an 11-1 win in the opener and overcame a five-run deficit to walk-off, 9-5, in game two on a grand slam by Matt Curtis. IC is now 28-9 on the season and will find out by Sunday who and where they will play in next weekend's Liberty League Tournament. Fabbo broke IC's hits record with a single to centerfield which extended the Bombers' lead to 4-0 as Shashaty scored on the play. Vince Roman (1987-90) held the record for 34 years as he collected 220 hits in 168 games played. Fabbo reached the milestone in his 157th career game.
Kean University advanced in the NJAC Tournament, defeating #1 Stockton University, 4-2 on Friday afternoon at Rutgers-Camden. Both teams exchanged single runs in the first inning as Tony Gatti led off the game with a triple. He would later score on a groundout from Jordan Nitti. Kean evened things up as Christian Pellone launched his third homerun of the season. In the back-and-forth affair, the Ospreys went up 2-1 in the third as Cooper Fiore knocked in Russell Halvorsen with an RBI single. Pellone started off the bottom of the same inning with a double and Tyler Stone traded places with him to even the score at two-all. The Cougars took their first lead of the day in the sixth as Justin Teixeira led off with a single and moved to third on a single from Gianni Marano. Caleb Rodriguez recorded a sacrifice and put Kean ahead, 3-2. Kean added to their lead in the seventh as Pellone registered a leadoff single and scored two batters later on a double from Phil Marcantonio. The College of New Jersey advanced in the winner’s bracket with a 6-4 win over host Rutgers-Camden. Ben Amon (5-1) earned the win tossing eight innings. He allowed four runs and 10 hits. He struck out four and walked no one.
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| Adrian College wrapped up its three-game series with Albion College on Friday afternoon with a doubleheader on the road. The Bulldogs grabbed game one of the doubleheader, 12-6, before taking game two, 11-8. The Bulldogs went on to sweep the series and move to 15-6 in MIAA play and 26-13 on the season. The Bulldogs will await the series finale doubleheader between Kalamazoo College and Alma College scheduled for Saturday at Alma. Alma needs to win both games tomorrow to allow for a share of the conference title and give the Bulldogs the No. 1 seed and host the MIAA Tournament next weekend. Adrian athletics photo |
On a cloudy, occasionally rainy Friday afternoon, the Blue Streaks hosted the No. 4 Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets for a doubleheader at Schweickert Field and the last Ohio Athletic Conference regular season matchup of the year for both teams. Baldwin Wallace stormed past John Carroll in the opener, 11-4. For the visiting Yellow Jackets, Vince Dolcemaschio had an excellent day on the mound, going 8 innings while allowing 4 runs, 2 being unearned. This effort was enough to earn Dolcemaschio his 7th win of the season. Some teams may have quit after a difficult opener loss to one of the best teams in the country. The Blue Streaks thundered past the Yellow Jackets in Game 2, 10-2, in the final game on the grass and dirt of Schweickert Field before the Bracken & Schweickert Fields are turfed over the summer. Eight Blue Streaks tabbed a hit in the second contest, while Jamon Higley and Maxwell Schumaker did fantastic work on the bump.
- Photo gallery: Marymount vs. Marywood
On the back of Kolby Fujii who went 4-for-4 with two home runs, five RBI, three runs, and a sacrifice fly, North Central College clinched their spot in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Tournament by defeating Elmhurst University, 10-8 on Friday afternoon. Tying the game at 6-6, Fujii hit an RBI single up the middle to score Jack Oberli from second base. After stealing second base and moving up to third on a Bluejay balk, Dave Fitzpatrick hit a single through the left side to plate Fujii to give the Cardinals their first lead of the day, 7-6. The Bluejays knotted the contest at 7-7 in the top of the seventh, taking advantage of a North Central error. In the eighth, Elmhurst used a clutch two-out single to take an 8-7 advantage. Up 10-8, Luke Lehnen came in to pitch the ninth and followed a leadoff walk with three-straight strikeouts to close the door and secure a 10-8 victory, clinching the Cardinals' spot in the CCIW Tournament.
Elizabethtown closed out the regular season on Friday at Lycoming, defeating the Warriors 11-1 after a five-run fifth inning. With the win today and also with Catholic's win over Scranton today, the Blue Jays have locked up the No.1 seed heading into the Landmark Conference Tournament. Quinten Perilli went 3 for 5 with three runs, three RBIs, two doubles, an a home run. Mason Woolwine, AJ Bednar, and Bryce Keller each recorded two RBIs. Kyle Mulville grabbed the win on the mound as he pitched six innings and struck out four.
Nationally 24th-ranked Cortland scored a combined 31 runs in a doubleheader sweep over visiting Fredonia in SUNYAC play. The Red Dragons (27-10-1, 15-2 SUNYAC) won the first game, 18-1, in a contest halted after seven innings due to the league's 10-run rule, and Cortland won the second game, 13-7, pulling away from a one-run lead at the midway point. Luis Misla earned his sixth win after allowing only three hits and one run over five innings. He struck out seven and didn't walk anyone. Brady Mazzeo tossed a scoreless and hitless sixth with a strikeout and two walks and Anthony Fusco retired the side in order with one strikeout in the seventh. Cortland finished with 21 hits, including 14 players with at least one hit. Mackenzie and Bruno combined for 11 RBI for the Red Dragons in the second game. Mackenzie went 3-for-5 with a homer and six RBI and Bruno was 2-for-3 with a homer, walk, five RBI and three runs.
Edgewood College hosted a Senior Day doubleheader Friday at Stampfl Field. They took on the St. Norbert Green Knights to conclude their Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference slate. The Eagles (20-19, 14-10 NACC) took a chaotic game one victory 17-16 in eight innings, before claiming the sweep in 12-5 fashion in game two against the Green Knights (15-25, 8-16) in game two. In the opener, a single to left field and an error plated three runs for the Green Knights and a single to short left things at 16-12 in favor of the Knights heading into the bottom of the eighth. Errant pitching and solid hitting fueled the Eagles rally to seal the marathon game. Jacob Carney singled up the middle and Tolliver through the right side for an RBI each. A bases loaded walk and hit by pitch evened things at 16 apiece before a wild pitch walked off game one for Edgewood College. Game two had less drama as Edgewood never trailed and put things away with a six run fifth inning.
Senior Gabriel Kirck hit a three-run homer in the first inning, as Olivet began a three-game series against Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Trine with a 4-2 win this afternoon at the Cutler Athletic Complex. After the game, the Comets recognized their six seniors who played in their final home game. The Comets wasted no time in jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the inning, Kirck unloaded the bases with a home run deep over the right field fence. With the homer, he broke the Olivet career record for both home runs (20) and RBI (112). Trine plated its last run in the ninth. The Thunder brought the tying run to the dish but a groundout back to the pitcher ended the game. For the game, Olivet totaled nine hits, with seniors recording five of the nine. Three seniors combined to throw nine innings. Keegan Kuha started on the mound and allowed one run on five hits over seven and two-thirds inning to earn his fifth win of the season. Andrew Vendzuh recorded the final out of the eighth and the first out of the ninth. Dalton Giddings gave up the ninth inning run but tallied the last two outs for the save.
Carleton College wrapped up the 2024 campaign by splitting a non-conference series against Gustavus Adolphus College on Senior Day at Mel Taube Field. The Knights (12-23) bounced back from an 11-4 loss to the Gusties (20-16) in Game 1 to take Game 2 by a 4-3 tally. Before the doubleheader the Knights partook in Senior Day festivities as the Knights celebrated Ryan Antrim, Steve Antrim, Kai Oishi, Brayden Stark, Aaron Thorne, and Thomas Wolf. Sam Chutkow's complete game effort in game 2 included a career-best eight strikeouts. "Great performance by Sam Chutkow in Game 2 with the complete game win," said Carleton head coach Alec Holcomb. "I am extremely proud of the growth and play of our team this year. "I can't thank this senior class enough for maintaining and growing the culture of our program. They truly embodied what it means to be a Carleton Knight."
With a 6-0 victory over Scranton on Friday, Catholic has won its 30th game in the regular season for the first time in program history. Sophomore pitcher Roman Tozzi was his usual dominant self, earning his eighth win of the season with 7.0 shutout innings. The Cardinals have put together a 30-win season for the third time under Ross Natoli, but 2024 marks the first time they've done it prior to postseason play. The third-ranked team in Region V, the Cardinals will enter the Landmark Conference Tournament as the number two seed. Tozzi put the cap on what proved to be a remarkable first season in D.C., striking out six and allowing just one hit. The sophomore enters postseason play with an 8-0 record and an ERA of 1.82 in 59.1 innings. The southpaw has a WHIP of 0.84, striking out 69 batters and allowing a batting average of just .138. Sam Fairhurst pitched the final 2.0 innings in relief to close out the victory, striking out four, and lowering his ERA to 2.97 in 33.1 innings pitched.
Marian University (24-14, 17-7 NACC) finished conference play with wins of 12-2 and 9-2 over Wisconsin Lutheran. In the opener, Marian wasted no time opening the scoring plating six runs before the Warriors even stepped up to the plate. A double from senior Robbie Knorr then began a three-run second inning as Marian built a 9-0 cushion and was pushed to 12-0 into the sixth. Wisconsin Lutheran would plate a run in the sixth and seventh but Marian held on for the opening win. Marian jumped ahead early in game two as well with junior Jacob Kleemann scoring on a passed ball in the top of the first. The Warriors cut their deficit down to one with two home runs in the sixth, but Marian was able to pull away late. The Sabres would plate three runs in the eighth and another three in the ninth to secure a sweep.
SUNY New Paltz traveled to Lake Ontario Friday for the final regular season series of the year, taking on No. 2 in its SUNYAC Division, SUNY Oswego, on Laker Baseball Field. The Hawks (24-13 overall) came off a historic victory Wednesday, earning the most wins in a single-season history (23) after defeating Mount Saint Mary College in their home finale on Loren Campbell field. And on Friday, backed by hot hitting from Fabian Apicella and Tommy Kreider, as well as limiting the bullpen to one arm, the Hawks added to their historic season win total with a 10-7 win against the Lakers and solidifying their spot in the SUNYAC Tournament for the first time since 2018. Tied at five in the seventh in the opener, the Hawks cashing in five runs, extended the lead to 10-5. Right-hander Matt Sarni took over in his 16th appearance of the year in the bottom of the seventh. After a two-run home run to cut the SUNY New Paltz lead to 10-7, Sarni battled with runners on base for his three inning save.
