SALISBURY, Md. – Sophomore right-hander Dylan Anderson allowed just two hits in 6 1/3 innings to help the fifth-ranked Salisbury University baseball team salvage a doubleheader split with the College of Staten Island, 6-2, on Saturday at the SU Baseball Field.
Salisbury (29-7) fell to the Dolphins in the first game of the day, 4-2, in eight innings.
Anderson, who improved to 2-0 win the win, surrendered two unearned runs and two walks while striking out two. Senior designated hitter Evan Graci and sophomore right fielder Kyle Hayman collected two hits with Graci hitting his second home run of the season, a solo shot, to left field in the bottom of the fifth. He picked up two RBIs and scored once in the win. Hayman was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI double.
SU jumped on Staten Island starter Michael Fitzpatrick for three runs in the bottom of the first inning of the second game. Hayman led off with a single to third base and moved to second when third baseman Chris Ramanauskas' throw was wild. A walk to Nick Gentry and hit-by-pitch by Quinn Griffith loaded the bases for Graci, who beat out a roller to second base for a 1-0 lead.
Johnny Schiotis followed with a sacrifice fly to left, and, two batters later, Austin Barefoot singled through the left side of the infield, scoring Griffith.
Staten Island (25-11) got on the scoreboard in the third with an unearned run courtesy of one of Salisbury's five errors on the day. David Carles singled to shortstop and stole second. After an Anderson strikeout, Carles swiped third, scampering home when Barefoot's throw from behind the plate went into left field.
Hayman and Gentry notched consecutive two-out doubles – both down the left-field line – in the fourth to stretch the lead to 5-1. Carles roped a single to left, plating John Baggs, who had reached on an error, to make it a 5-2 game, before Graci hammered the first pitch of the bottom of the fifth for a homer.
CSI's William DiFede and Baggs worked one-out walks off Anderson in the seventh. With the tying run on deck, sophomore righty Kyle Hamby came on to close the door, which he did, inducing a Phil Ciprello double play to end the game, as Hamby earned his third save.
Fitzpatrick went the distance for the Dolphins and took the loss, falling to 4-1. He allowed eight hits, six earned runs and a walk with three strikeouts.
Carles finished the second game 3-for-3 with two steals, a run and RBI for Staten Island.
The Dolphins struck first in the opener with a run in the fourth off Salisbury righty Brett Collacchi. DiFede singled to right, stole second and moved to third on a fly ball. Baggs hit a grounder to the right side to get DiFede in with two out.
The Sea Gulls took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth when a Bill Root bouncer found its way up the middle, scoring Gentry and Bobby Sanzone with two outs.
Barefoot started the inning with a double down the right-field line and a Richard Anderson pitch hit Sanzone. Barefoot was erased on a fielder's choice by Gentry, who, along with Sanzone advanced on a passed ball.
DiFede scored with two outs in the top of the sixth on a Sanzone throwing error to knot the game, 2-2.
DiFede struck again with the bases loaded and no one out in the eighth, lining a Danny Druzgala pitch through the right side to score two for the lead.
Graci and Hayman each singled in the bottom of the eighth, but Richard Anderson retired Schiotis to end the game.
Richard Anderson went all eight innings, fanning five and scattering six hits to improve to 7-2 on the year. DiFede was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two knocked in.
Druzgala took the loss, falling to 1-4, in 3 2/3 innings.
Salisbury will celebrate Senior Day on Sunday with a 1 p.m., game with Stevenson University.