Union, N.J. (3/22/15) – The Kean University baseball team swept Ithaca College by the finals of 2-1 and 8-0 on Sunday afternoon in non-conference action at Jim Hynes Stadium.
Senior Anthony Fischetti was a combined 4-for-6 with three RBI and three stolen bases in the win as Kean improves to 11-4 on the season. Senior Christian Brown recorded three hits in the losses for Ithaca who fall to 2-7 this spring.
Game One
The Cougars scratched across a single run in the second as senior Tom McGuckin led off the inning with a single. Rookie Matt Krupa then lined a double that bounced over the fence in left center putting both runners in scoring position. Fischetti's groundout to short was enough to get McGuckin home for the first run of the afternoon.
From there is a was a pitchers' duel as both teams were able to work around small jams until the seventh when Kean pushed across what turned out to be the winning run as junior Sal Taormina reached on a throwing error. He moved into scoring position on a groundout and with two outs on the board, Krupa again found open space for the RBI single, and a 2-0 lead.
The Bombers rallied in their last at-bat. With one out, Ithaca produced three consecutive singles, the last coming off the bat of Matt Connelly for the RBI, erasing the shutout. With runners on first and second, Charles Thielmann got a big strikeout and after a walk to load the bases, go the win with a flyout for the final out of the game.
Thielmann (1-1) allowed nine hits in the complete game win with two walks and four strikeouts. Andrew Sanders was the hard-luck loser. Sanders (0-2) allowed two runs, one earned, with six hits and six strikeouts. He walked no one.
Fischetti and Krupa each finished with two hits and an RBI.
Game Two
Kean jumped on top early, with six runs in the first inning, to breeze to an 8-0 shutout in the nightcap.
In the first inning, where the Cougars batted around, junior Matt Meleo got the ball rolling with a leadoff double. Sophomore Scott Durkin reached on a fielder's choice sacrifice bunt to put runners on the corners. Junior Ryan Reitmeyer pushed across the first run with an RBI fielder's choice. Taormina drove in Reitmeyer with an RBI double, and the hit parade continued with a single from McGuckin, RBI single from Krupa and two RBI triple from Fischetti. Fischetti would score on a wild pitch, to close out the scoring in the first.
Kean plated single runs in the second and third as junior Brock Podgurski reached on a single and scored on a wild pitch. In the third, Meleo tallied an RBI as Fischetti came around to score after reaching on a single.
Southpaw Emilio Calderon (3-1) picked up the win in game two. Calderon tossed seven strong innings allowing five hits and three walks. He fanned three. Senior Casey Carothers closed out the shutout tossing two innings of no-hit ball with two strikeouts.
The Cougars return to action on Monday when they face DeSales University in a rescheduled matchup.