ROCHDALE, Mass. — After having over a week off since its last game, the Southern Vermont College baseball team returned to action by sweeping a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) twin bill over Becker College, winning 4-3 and then 8-4 Saturday afternoon at Rochdale Park.
The visiting Mountaineers allowed just a three-run homer in the third inning before keeping the BC offense at bay through the rest of the opener. Southern Vermont went in front with two runs in the fifth, and neither team crossed the plate after that point as SVC finished off the game-one victory.
Southern Vermont then used a four-run fourth for a cushion that the Mountaineers would be able to sustain throughout the rest of the day-cap to close out the pair of wins.
SVC is now on a six-game winning streak, marking the longest string of consecutive victories in program history that surpasses the previous record of four straight set by the 2009 squad. The Southern Vermont pitching staff has recorded a 3.06 earned run average across that six-game stretch.
The Mountaineers are back at Becker on Sunday for the series' rubber match that is set to start at 12 p.m. SVC has now won four out of its last five meetings with the Hawks.
Senior captain RJ Pingitore (Perth, N.Y.) went 4-for-5 on the day, bringing his SVC career hit total to 140. That ties him for third all-time in program history with Mountaineer assistant coach Christopher Nicastro, Jr. and puts him 22 shy of being alone in second on the record chart. Additionally, he scored once on Saturday to tie him at fifth on the team's all-time runs list with 89 (Cody LaBadia).
GAME 1: Southern Vermont 4 – Becker 3
Southern Vermont grabbed a slim lead with one run in the second inning of the opener before a three-run dinger in the third put the Hawks on top by two. SVC inched back with a lone run in the fourth and then regained the upper hand with two in the fifth to go ahead 4-3. The Mountaineers were able to cling onto that edge through the final two frames for their first win of the day.
SVC junior right-hander Dylan Angelo (Ft. Johnson, N.Y.) improved his season record from the hill to 3-1, going all seven innings with the start while allowing just two earned runs and striking out four. He now has eight career wins at Southern Vermont, making him second on the program's all-time wins list and just one away of tying the top spot (9- Kurt Kowalczyk).
Pingitore went 2-for-3 at the plate in the opener, working a walk and scoring a run; he crossed the dish on a double steal, providing the tying run in the fifth. Freshman Joe Braim (Schuylerville, N.Y.) had a 2-for-4 showing at the plate, scoring what proved to be the game-winning run after stealing second. Junior designated hitter Anthony Mercuri (Ridge, N.Y.) was 1-for-3 in the batter's box, his hit being a run-scoring double in the fifth that brought home Braim. Sophomore third baseman Rob Spatafore (Mahopac, N.Y.) was 2-for-3 with the stick, knocking out his first career home run and scoring once more in the win.
Two SVC hits and a plunked batter all came with two outs in the top of the first, but the Hawks were able to get out of the jam to keep the Mountaineers off the board. A Becker runner swiped second and then third in the bottom of the frame with one down, only to see Angelo retire the side with his second strikeout of the outing and a grounder to Pingitore.
Southern Vermont then got across the plate first in the top of the second, Spatafore raking a one-out single to right to get aboard. A hit by pitch and ground out to short moved him up to third, and a wild pitch then gave way for the Mountaineer to scoot across home with the game's first run.
BC threatened in the second with a pair of runners in scoring position, but Angelo got out of it unscathed once again with a grounder back at him. SVC went down in order in the third before Becker got all of its runs in the home half of the box, a three-run blast to left making it a 3-1 upper hand for the hosts.
With the bases empty, Spatafore tallied a homer of his own as the Mountaineer sophomore tagged a round-tripper over the fence in left to get his team within one. A lone single for Becker in the bottom of the fourth turned into the third out as SVC freshman catcher Dan Mason (Bloomingdale, N.J.) gunned the runner down at second on a steal attempt.
Southern Vermont then seized the advantage in the top of the fifth, Pingitore pulling a one-out single through the left side to get things started. He moved up to second on a passed ball and then to third with a base hit off of Braim's bat, and the pair of Mountaineers executed the double steal to tie the game at 4-4. Braim advanced 90 feet on a two-out wild pitch, and Mercuri then came through with a clutch double to center for the go-ahead run to cross home.
Angelo got Becker to strand a pair in the fifth before SVC left a runner at second in the top of the sixth. A Hawk got into scoring position in the bottom of the frame, only to move no further as Angelo induced the inning-ending pop out to first.
After a double play turned by the BC middle infield finished the top of the seventh, Becker had one final attempt to extend or win the game in the home half of the inning. A two-out double put the tying run in scoring position, only to get left there as Angelo finished off his complete-game victory with a final fly out to left.
GAME 2: Southern Vermont 8 – Becker 4
SVC notched a single run in both the first and second innings of the day-cap before Becker cut the deficit in half with one in the third. The Mountaineers then crossed the plate four times in the fourth to go up by five, a lead that was trimmed to four as the Hawks got one back in the bottom of the frame.
A lone Southern Vermont run in the sixth was followed by a two-run response by BC in the home half of the box that made it a 7-3 Mountaineer advantage. The visitors added a run of insurance in the seventh before SVC senior righty Chris Bradt (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) registered a 1-2-3 inning from the bump to finish off his third save of the year.
Pingitore continued his stellar day with a 3-for-3 performance at the plate in game two, adding a walk and two RBIs to his line. Spatafore also continued the hot hitting, tallying a 2-for-4 showing at the dish with a run batted in. Mercuri and Mason each went 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored while freshman center fielder Zack Stacey (Saratoga, N.Y.) had an RBI and two runs scored out of the leadoff spot.
Southern Vermont sophomore right-hander Jean-Carlos Berasgoico (New York City, N.Y.) picked up the win from the hill, moving to 2-2 on the year. He struck out eight Hawks batters on the afternoon, tying his career-high that he reached twice in 2015. Berasgoico allowed just four runs on six hits and three walks in 5.2 innings with the start. Bradt came out of the pen with two down in the sixth, working a hitless 1.1 innings of relief for his third career save; he is now tied for third on both the single season and all-time career saves lists for SVC.
The Mountaineers were aggressive on the base paths, stealing five times in game two to total eight swipes on the day. Pingitore and sophomore Niko D'Agnese (Mahopac, N.Y.) each had a pair of stolen bases in the second win of the twin bill.
D'Agnese singled up the middle with one down in the top of the first to get on base, and he recorded his first steal to get into scoring position. A Pingitore single to left put runners at the corners, and SVC once again pulled off the double steal to get on the scoreboard first.
Berasgoico sat down the Becker side in order in the home half of the inning, getting his first strikeout of the day to end the frame. A walk and a single to right put Southern Vermont runners at the corners with one out in the second, allowing sophomore Luigi Magliocca (Broadalbin, N.Y.) to tag a sacrifice fly to left for Mason to cross home with the second Mountaineer score.
The SVC sophomore righty struck out the side in the second, allowing just a lone walk to represent Becker's first base runner of the game. Southern Vermont's turn to bat in the third was ended by its aggressive base running as BC threw out a steal attempt at second to get out of the inning. The Hawks then broke through to the board with a lone run in the bottom of the box on help from an SVC fielding mishap.
The Mountaineers gained some separation in the fourth, being aided by a pair of Becker errors. Mercuri led-off the inning with a single down the line in left, and he would soon-after score on a BC miscue at second. Stacey then laid down a bunt and reached on an error by the Hawk pitcher while Mason and Spatafore scored to make it 5-1. Pingitore followed with a two-out single up the middle, bringing home Stacey to put SVC up by four.
Becker answered with a single run in the home half of the fourth, being set up by a lead-off triple to center. The Hawks would then put runners at second and third with two down, only to see Berasgoico get a grounder to first for the inning-ender.
Both sides went down in order in the fifth before Southern Vermont padded its lead in the sixth with another lone run. Stacey doubled down the line in left to get on base, and Pingitore came through with another two-out hit, a double down the left field line of his own, for the Mountaineers to go up 7-2.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Becker got a two-run shot to left for the hosts to get within three; an ensuing walk triggered the SVC pitching change, seeing Bradt come on and end the frame with a grounder back at him.
The Mountaineers gained a little more breathing room in the seventh as Mercuri worked a one-out walk and moved around to third on a Spatafore double down the line in left. A wild pitch then gave way for Mercuri to scamper home and make it an 8-4 ballgame.
Bradt returned to the mound, making quick work of the Hawks as he got two outs to come in the air before getting the final Becker batter to wave at strike three to close out the win.