HOBOKEN, N.J. (March 28, 2018)  – Senior Alex Detweiler and junior Donny Gherardi had consecutive run-scoring hits as the Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team strung together seven straight hits as part of a two-out, six-run rally in the fifth inning as the Ducks topped visiting Elmira College 9-4 Wednesday in an Empire 8 Conference game played at Dobbelaar Field.

Designated Hitter Tommy Baronner had three hits and freshman Thomas Paulich drove in two for Stevens, who won their third straight game to climb over .500 at 10-9. All three victories came in league contests as Stevens moved to 3-1 in the E8. The Ducks are 8-2 all-time against Elmira. Baronner has reached base safely in 18 of 19 contests.

Tommy Fogarty had two hits and two RBI for Elmira, who fell to 0-13 on the year. The Soaring Eagles are 0-4 in the Empire 8. The teams will conclude their three-games series April 4 in Elmira, New York.

"We, as a coaching staff, have to give our team some credit," said head coach Kristaps Aldins. We came out sluggish, but after challenging them, [the team] responded with a big two-out rally in the sixth. This was a very important midweek conference win for us. Now, we can turn our focus to having a much-needed on the field practice on Thursday, where we will be able to prepare for a challenging SUNY-Canton team."

After starter Nick Sampogna scattered just two hits and a run over four innings, Nick Gulino (0-2) started the fifth and retired the first two batters in order before quickly running into trouble. Baronner began the game-defining rally with an infield single and moved to second on Matthew Pasko's single through the right side of the infield. Gherardi drove Gulino's first pitch down the left field line and the ball one-hopped the fence for a ground-rule double. Detweiler put Stevens up for good with a two-run single to left. Sophomore Patrick Rood continued the stretch with a single up the middle. Freshman Ambrose Consol doubled to left center and Paulich doubled to right center to clear the bases and give the Ducks a 7-3 lead. The six-run frame was the team's largest of the season. 

Although starter Chandler Brierley didn't allow a hit in 2 2-3 innings of work, the left-hander walked six and hit two batters. The free passes led to Elmira's first two runs of the game when Joey Florio reached on a fielder's choice after the Ridgewood, New Jersey native walked the bases loaded in the second. The Soaring Eagles added a run in the third when Brierley hit Fogarty with the bases loaded to force in a run. The sophomore hurler did not factor in the decision.

Freshman Roy Iversen (2-0) earned the second win of his collegiate career, allowing a run on four hits over 3 1-3 innings. The Oak Park, Illinois induced a flyout to right off the bat of Cameron Heggie to leave the bases loaded in the third. Stevens had jumped out to a 1-0 lead courtesy of a Detweiler single to center. Like Baronner, Detweiler has reached base in 18 of 19 contests this season. The Sarasota, Florida native drove in three on the afternoon and the first baseman's 18 RBI lead the team.

Senior Drew Hanke came on with the bases loaded in the ninth and struck out Eddie O'Donnell and Mark Ryan to earn his second career save.

Freshman Raymond Cortes III collected his first collegiate RBI on a groundout in the eighth.

Up Next: Baseball welcomes the State University of New York at Canton to Dobbelaar Field for a three-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, March 30.

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