BENNINGTON, Vt. – The Southern Vermont College baseball team won its third-straight New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) game Monday afternoon as the Mountaineers tacked up a late seven runs before holding on to top Daniel Webster College 9-5 at Bill Epstein Field.
SVC—batting as the away team—gained a slim 1-0 edge in the top of the third before the Eagles tied it in the fourth. DWC went on top with a lone run in the sixth, but the Mountaineers answered with four in the seventh and another three in the eighth to go in front 8-2.
Daniel Webster came back with three of its own in the bottom of the eighth—only to see Southern Vermont tack up one in the ninth before closing out the victory to take the first of its three-game set with DWC.
Mountaineer sophomore center fielder Zack Stacey (Saratoga, N.Y.) made program history as his double in the top of the eighth extended his hitting streak to a new team record 18 games; that surpassed the mark of 17-straight appearances with a hit set by Pat Warrington '12 in 2011.
Southern Vermont improves to 5-2 in Conference play (7-15 overall) to stay in first place in the league standings. The Eagles fall to 4-18 on the year and 2-8 against the NECC.
SVC sophomore center fielder Dan Mason (Bloomingdale, N.Y.) had an outstanding afternoon as he went 3-5 with three doubles and two runs batted in; he also threw out an Eagle runner trying to steal. Mason helped the Mountaineers tally six doubles on the day—that being the most since Southern Vermont put up seven against the University of Maine-Presque Isle on April 15, 2016; Mason's mark was also the first multi-double game for an SVC player this year and the most for a Mountaineer since RJ Pingitore '16 tallied four in that same game against the Owls.
Stacey was 1-4 with three RBI's while junior right fielder Niko D'Agnese (Mahopac, N.Y.) went 2-4 with two runs batted in and another run scored. Junior left fielder Luigi Magliocca (Broadalbin, N.Y.) had a 3-5 showing at the dish with a run scored, and fellow junior shortstop John Arancio (Oradell, N.J.) had a 2-4 day at the plate with a walk and two runs scored.
DWC sophomore catcher Dan Mullins (Nashua, N.H.) was 3-5 for the Eagles as junior second baseman Dylan McDonough (Billerica, Mass.) went 2-3 with a pair of RBI's. Sophomore shortstop Matt Alberino (Medford, Mass.) turned in a 2-4 showing with the stick while tacking up a pair of runs scored, and sophomore center fielder Rodolfo Acosta (Nashua, N.H.) was 1-3 with a walk and two RBI's.
Southern Vermont freshman lefty Tyler Graham (Amsterdam, N.Y.) registered his first collegiate win (1-4) from the mound as he struck out three while allowing just two runs in six innings with the start. Daniel Webster senior reliever Matt Deitrich (Nashua, N.H.) took the loss (1-4) after giving up seven runs (two earned) in two innings out of the pen.
Neither side could scratch across a run through the first two innings with the Eagles stranding three aboard in that time. SVC finally got the opening run of the day after Magliocca roped a one-out double down the line in right. D'Agnese would come through with a two-out double of his own—pulling it just inside the third base bag to score his classmate and make it a 1-0 ballgame.
Graham got Daniel Webster to leave a runner at second in the bottom of the third, and a Mason double with one down in the top of the fourth would prove fruitless for the Mountaineers. That's when DWC tied it up as McDonough was able to put down the squeeze bunt to score the tying run from third.
The Eagles would soon-after go in front after Alberino doubled down the line in right to lead-off the bottom of the sixth. A McDonough single up the middle would plate the Eagle from third and make it a 2-1 advantage for Daniel Webster.
Southern Vermont would respond in a big way in the top of the seventh—chalking up four runs for a lead that would be sustained through the remainder of the game. With runners on first and second and no outs, Magliocca put down a bunt; it was placed perfectly for him to get aboard and load the bases with the hit. Stacey followed with a fly out deep enough to left for Arancio to tag up and even the score.
With two down, SVC senior designated hitter Anthony Mercuri (Ridge, N.Y.) grounded into the hole at short and made his way to first for the run-scoring single. Mason followed with a double pulled into the right-field corner which allowed two runs to score and make it a 5-2 lead for the Mountaineers.
After Southern Vermont senior Joshua Hay (South Glens Falls, N.Y.) came out of the pen and put away the Eagles 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh, SVC hung another three runs in the eighth. Southern Vermont loaded the bases with no outs, and Stacey then came through with his record-breaking hit as he cranked a double to left for a pair of Mountaineers to cross the dish. D'Agnese followed with a sacrifice fly to left for the six-run upper hand.
Not to go quietly—Daniel Webster responded with three of its own in the home half of the eighth. The Eagles put three ducks on the pond with one out in the frame, and Acosta then knocked one through the right side for a pair to come around and score. DWC junior left fielder Mike Pelletier (Pelham, N.H.) tagged an ensuing run-scoring single to the gap in right-center for senior right fielder Mike Gamache (Manchester, N.H.) to trot home from third and cut it to 8-5.
SVC garnered a piece of insurance in the top of the ninth when freshman second baseman Noah DuBois (Barrington, N.H.) singled through the left side to bring around freshman pinch runner Nate Hickey (Bristol, Conn.) from second. Mountaineer senior righty Dylan Angelo (Amsterdam, N.Y.) returned to the bump for his second inning of relief action and made quick work of the Eagles—retiring the side in order to finish off the league victory.
– #LetsGoSVC –