FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Thiel College baseball team won its third straight game Friday, defeating the Lions of Emerson College by the score of 14-4.
With the win Thiel's record improves to 4-2 overall, while the Lions fell to 2-5. The victory was the Tomcats' most one-sided so far this season, and it got started with a two-run first inning that moved the home team ahead 2-0.
The Tomcats utilized some small ball to grab the early lead. Junior Cody Trinch (Franklin, Pa./Franklin) led off the frame, making it to second on an error by the Lions' starting pitcher. Sophomore Bryan Mitchell (Cleveland, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) laced a one-out grounder to third that was fielded cleanly, allowing the first run of the game to score. After senior Nick Schiavoni (Boiling Spring, Pa./Trinity) reached first on a two-out bunt single and stole second, sophomore Dan Koller (Euclid, Ohio/Lake Catholic) plated Schiavoni with a single through the left side, giving Thiel a 2-0 lead.
Emerson cut into the Tomcats lead with a run on two hits and an error, scoring its first run of the game on a RBI-single by Kyle Becker.
Thiel responded in the home half of the second with two-out lightning, as sophomore Brian Genco (Strongsville, Ohio/Strongsville) reached on an error by Emerson's third baseman. Genco advanced on a Trinch single to left, and later scored on an error by Emerson's catcher.
In the third inning, Koller singled home a run to make it 4-1 Thiel. Sophomore Sam Passafiume (Medina, Ohio/Medina) followed with a double to the gap to score Koller and put the Tomcats up 5-1.
After the Tomcats added a sixth run on a Lions' error in the bottom of the fifth, Emerson cut into the lead with a run in the sixth inning. That was as close as the visitors could get, as Thiel erupted for eight runs, seven of which were unanswered, over the remaining three innings.
The Tomcats not only out-hit the Lions 15-6, but were helped out by eight Emerson errors. That was more than enough offense for the pitching combination of Parker Meyers(Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park), Jaden Nozicka (Portage, Mich./Portage Central) and Riley Schwertz (Zelienople, Pa./Freedom). Meyers improved to 2-0 on the year by tossing seven innings, during which he allowed just one earned run on five hits, striking out three and walking two. Nozicka pitched the eighth inning, giving up one earned run on one hit while Schwertz worked a hitless ninth to secure the win for Thiel.
Koller, Genco, Passafiume and freshman Brian Snyder (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) led a balanced Thiel offense to victory with two hits each. Eight of the nine Tomcats in the starting lineup registered at least one hit in the win.
Several Tomcats recorded "firsts", as senior Matt Fedzen (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Catholic) went 1-for-1 with two runs scored in his first collegiate plate appearance while freshmen Ryan Brumbaugh (New Wilmington, Pa./Wilmington) went 1-for-1 with a double and fellow freshman Ryan Price (Ray, Mich./Romeo) singled in his first collegiate at-bat.
The Tomcats play two tomorrow, taking on Saint Lawrence University at 4 p.m. before tangling with the University of Scranton at 7 p.m.
With the win Thiel's record improves to 4-2 overall, while the Lions fell to 2-5. The victory was the Tomcats' most one-sided so far this season, and it got started with a two-run first inning that moved the home team ahead 2-0.
The Tomcats utilized some small ball to grab the early lead. Junior Cody Trinch (Franklin, Pa./Franklin) led off the frame, making it to second on an error by the Lions' starting pitcher. Sophomore Bryan Mitchell (Cleveland, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) laced a one-out grounder to third that was fielded cleanly, allowing the first run of the game to score. After senior Nick Schiavoni (Boiling Spring, Pa./Trinity) reached first on a two-out bunt single and stole second, sophomore Dan Koller (Euclid, Ohio/Lake Catholic) plated Schiavoni with a single through the left side, giving Thiel a 2-0 lead.
Emerson cut into the Tomcats lead with a run on two hits and an error, scoring its first run of the game on a RBI-single by Kyle Becker.
Thiel responded in the home half of the second with two-out lightning, as sophomore Brian Genco (Strongsville, Ohio/Strongsville) reached on an error by Emerson's third baseman. Genco advanced on a Trinch single to left, and later scored on an error by Emerson's catcher.
In the third inning, Koller singled home a run to make it 4-1 Thiel. Sophomore Sam Passafiume (Medina, Ohio/Medina) followed with a double to the gap to score Koller and put the Tomcats up 5-1.
After the Tomcats added a sixth run on a Lions' error in the bottom of the fifth, Emerson cut into the lead with a run in the sixth inning. That was as close as the visitors could get, as Thiel erupted for eight runs, seven of which were unanswered, over the remaining three innings.
The Tomcats not only out-hit the Lions 15-6, but were helped out by eight Emerson errors. That was more than enough offense for the pitching combination of Parker Meyers(Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park), Jaden Nozicka (Portage, Mich./Portage Central) and Riley Schwertz (Zelienople, Pa./Freedom). Meyers improved to 2-0 on the year by tossing seven innings, during which he allowed just one earned run on five hits, striking out three and walking two. Nozicka pitched the eighth inning, giving up one earned run on one hit while Schwertz worked a hitless ninth to secure the win for Thiel.
Koller, Genco, Passafiume and freshman Brian Snyder (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) led a balanced Thiel offense to victory with two hits each. Eight of the nine Tomcats in the starting lineup registered at least one hit in the win.
Several Tomcats recorded "firsts", as senior Matt Fedzen (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Catholic) went 1-for-1 with two runs scored in his first collegiate plate appearance while freshmen Ryan Brumbaugh (New Wilmington, Pa./Wilmington) went 1-for-1 with a double and fellow freshman Ryan Price (Ray, Mich./Romeo) singled in his first collegiate at-bat.
The Tomcats play two tomorrow, taking on Saint Lawrence University at 4 p.m. before tangling with the University of Scranton at 7 p.m.