BENNINGTON, Vt. — Southern Vermont College swept its third straight doubleheader on Friday as the hosting Mountaineer baseball team defeated the University of Maine at Presque Isle 8-6 and 15-1 in non-conference play at Bill Epstein Field.
With the pair of victories, SVC has now won 10 of its last 12 games heading into a weekend league series.
The Mountaineers withstood a late UMPI push to close out the victory in Friday's opener before racking up eight extra-base hits in game two for a decisive win.
The day-cap was aided by an outstanding performance from senior captain RJ Pingitore (Perth, N.Y.) who was stellar from both the batter's box and the pitching mound. He picked up his second career win (1-0) with his second collegiate start, going the distance while giving up just the one run on six hits and three walks; he also struck out two Owl batters on the day. Pingitore helped himself at the plate as he tallied four of SVC's seven doubles, scoring four times while knocking in four more runs.
Southern Vermont was aggressive on the base paths, stealing a total of 13 bags in the two games.
Friday's sweep also ties the all-time series between the two programs at 9-9, SVC now having won four of the last five meetings.
The Mountaineers continue their home stand on Saturday with a New England Collegiate Conference doubleheader against Lesley University, first pitch of the front-end matchup slated for 1 p.m. The Owls head back to the Pine Tree State for a tough 4 p.m. Tuesday contest at the University of Maine.
GAME 1: Southern Vermont 8 – Presque Isle 6
The opener was scoreless until SVC crossed once in the third, adding to its lead the next inning with four more runs. UMPI cut it back to a one-run game with three in the fifth, only to see the Mountaineers respond with two of their own in the bottom of the inning and another one in the sixth to go up 8-3.
Presque Isle made a strong attempt to keep its hopes alive in the seventh, a three-run Owl homer making it just a two-run lead for the hosts. But SVC senior righty Chris Bradt (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) was able to come out of the pen and finish it off for his fourth save of the year.
Mountaineer freshman center fielder Zack Stacey (Saratoga, N.Y.) and sophomore designated hitter Austin Teitelbaum (Westhampton, N.Y.) both went 2-for-4 from the batter's box with two RBIs and a run scored; Stacey added two stolen bases to his game's line. Junior first baseman Anthony Mercuri (Ridge, N.Y.) extended his hitting streak to nine games with a 2-for-4 showing of his own, scoring once and batting in another run.
SVC sophomore third baseman Rob Spatafore (Mahopac, N.Y.) was also 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI while freshman catcher Dan Mason (Bloomingdale, N.Y.) went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run batted in. Sophomore left fielder Luigi Magliocca (Broadalbin, N.Y.) scored twice in the win while swiping a pair of bases.
Mountaineer freshman right-hander Ryan Richards (Beaumont, Calif.) earned the win from the bump, moving to 2-1 on the year as he let up three runs in five innings with the start. He gave up seven hits, striking out four in the outing. Bradt then came on with two down in the seventh, allowing just a lone batter to reach safely due to a fielding error.
Presque Isle senior right fielder Brady Rowe (Timberlea, Nova Scotia) was 2-for-4 at the dish as senior Andrew Bartlett (Damariscotta, Maine) went 2-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Sophomore catcher Solomon Fast (Phillips, Maine) was 1-for-2 with a walk, scoring twice in the effort.
UMPI sophomore starting pitcher Matt Curry (Caribou, Maine) suffered the loss (2-1), striking out three while going all six innings.
Rowe tallied a one-out single in the top of the first, but he would be quickly erased as Mason gunned him down at second in a steal attempt. Mason would then be stranded at second in the bottom of the first before neither side could manufacture much in the next inning. Richards sat the Owl side down in order in the third, getting help from Pingitore who played the game at second; he ranged far to his right to snag a grounder up the middle and was able to get the runner in time at first for the out.
SVC then struck first after Magliocca moved up to second with his first steal of the day. He tagged up and advanced 90 feet on a fly out to center, and Mason then slapped a run-scoring single into left-center for the 1-0 edge. Magliocca would subsequently help his team from left in the next frame, throwing out Rowe who tried to turn a lead-off single into an extra-base hit. Richards retired the next two batters to get back in the dugout and bring his offense up to the plate to provide some more run support.
Spatafore cranked a double to dead center with one down in the fourth, and Mercuri followed with a Texas Leauger into shallow right to put runners at the corners. Teitelbaum then tagged a double to left for the lead runner to trot home. An Owl fielding error plated Mercuri, and Stacey then sent a high-flying shot into left, the ball getting caught in the sun for the UMPI fielder to misplay it and allow two more runs to come in.
Presque Isle responded with three runs in the fifth using back-to-back singles to start the frame; Bartlett then doubled down the line in right for the lead runner to come in and make it 5-1. Senior center fielder Tommy Collins poked an ensuing RBI single to center, and a fielder's choice grounder to second plated the third of the inning. Rowe fought to extend the frame with a lengthy at bat, fouling off multiple pitches while working a full count. Richards came out the victor, however, as he got the Owl to ground down to Pingitore to end the inning.
Southern Vermont then kept its offense clicking in the home half of the box, Pingitore singling to start things before freshman right fielder Cody Sullivan (Brunswick, N.Y.) sent a double to the gap in right-center to put a pair of Mountaineers in scoring position for Mercuri. The junior singled to right for Pingitore to score, and a Teitelbaum base hit the same way then brought Sullivan home to make it a 7-3 ballgame.
Mountaineer freshman right-hander Joe Braim (Schuylerville, N.Y.) came on in relief and made quick work of the Owls, retiring the side in order with the third out coming by way of the K. SVC then tallied an insurance run in the bottom of the inning as Stacey got to third with his pair of steals coming after he ripped a lead-off single through the left side. Southern Vermont loaded the bases to force the UMPI infield to pull in, but Spatafore smacked a hard-hit grounder to short that was unable to be cleanly fielded for Stacey to cross the plate.
Presque Isle refused to give up and go quietly, working two walks to start the top of the seventh. Bartlett then stepped up and sent his dinger over the fence in right, cutting it down to an 8-6 Mountaineer lead. Bradt got the call from the bullpen and retired the first two batters he faced with a fly out to right and a come-backer right at him. The tying run would come to the plate after a fielding miscue allowed an Owl to reach base, but Bradt took care of it as he induced the final out through the air to Stacey in right-center.
GAME 2: Southern Vermont 15 – Presque Isle 1
The Mountaineers jumped on top right away in game two, scoring three times in the first before adding another three runs in the third. After that trend continued in the fourth with SVC scoring three more times, UMPI finally got to Pingitore with a lone run in the fifth. That would be all that the visitors could manage, however, as Southern Vermont tacked up six in the bottom of the sixth before the senior captain finished off his first win of the year from the mound.
Pingitore was 4-for-4 with all of his hits being doubles, coming one shy of tying the Division III record for the most two-baggers in a game (three players); he had never previously had more than two in a single contest. Pingitore turned each of those hits into runs while knocking in four more and adding a steal to his line. He went all seven innings on the hill for his first-ever complete game appearance, striking out three while giving up just the one run.
Sullivan was 1-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored as Spatafore turned in a 2-for-4 showing and scored once; Spatafore has now hit safely in nine of SVC's last 10 games. Sophomore shortstop John Arancio (Oradell, N.J.) went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs, and Mason was 1-for-2 with a walk, three runs scored and a run batted in. Magliocca had a 3-for-3 showing at the plate with two runs scored, using his speed to tally a triple and three stolen bases. Stacey stole another two bags in the win while going 1-for-3 with two walks, scoring three times and knocking in another run.
Curry was 2-for-3 for the Owls as Collins went 2-for-2 with a walk. Sophomore third baseman Saul Nunez (Mapleton, Maine) worked a base on balls and turned it into the UMPI run, being batted in by sophomore left fielder Matt Cauchon (Kingston, Mass.). Sophomore starter Tyler McLaughlin (Fremont, Calif.) was strapped with the loss (0-4), striking out five in his three innings of work.
After Pingitore got the visitors to strand a pair in the top of the first, he provided his own run support in the home half of the frame with a double to right; that hit scored Stacey and saw Mason be safe at the plate when the Owl catcher muffed the relay throw. Pingitore was awarded third on the same play due to an obstruction call, and he then slid into home on a wild pitch for the 3-0 lead.
Pingitore got the UMPI side to ground out in order in the second, and a Presque Isle lead-off single up the middle was doubled off on a line drive to end the third. Southern Vermont padded its cushion with three more in the bottom of the inning, Pingitore's second double scoring a pair of runners that got on via walks. Arancio then knocked his teammate in with a single to right, putting his squad up 6-0.
Another Owl lead-off single in the fourth would prove hollow as Pingitore got three straight outs to get his team off the diamond. Southern Vermont extended its upper hand in the fourth after Magliocca singled to the hole at short and stole his way around to third. Mason singled up the middle, scoring the runner before he stole second himself. Pingitore sent a shot into right-center for Mason to round third and touch home, and a Sullivan grounder to short then allowed Pingitore to come in from third as the Mountaineers went on top 9-0.
Nunez walked to start the fifth, and he moved up to second on a ground out to third. A Collins single put Owl runners at the corners, and Cauchon sent a fly ball deep enough to right-center for Nunez to tag up and trot home with the UMPI run. Rowe singled to the gap in left center and moved up to second as SVC tried to throw out the runner at third, but Pingitore retired the next batter to get out of the inning with just the minor blemish.
Southern Vermont then put the game out of reach in the fifth, Braim and Spatafore starting the box with a double and ensuing single to short. Mountaineer sophomore Niko D'Agnese (Mahopac, N.Y.) followed with a fly out to center, making way for Braim to tag and score the inning's first run. Stacey would later notch a run-scoring single to left-center, and Sullivan popped a two-run double to right as SVC took a commanding lead.
Pingitore got the Owls to go down in order in the bottom of the sixth before hustling to turn a ball hit between UMPI outfielders into his fourth double of the day. He then got himself out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh by painting the corner of the strike zone for the final out of the day.