FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Southern Vermont College bats continued to pound the ball Wednesday—helping the Mountaineers register 15-5 and 14-5 wins over St. Michael's College at Terry Park.
SVC had 15 hits in game one before putting up another 10 in game two for the sweep of Division II's Purple Knights.
Southern Vermont (3-4-1) concludes its trip to the Sunshine State on Thursday with a doubleheader against Gallaudet University. First pitch is slated for 9 a.m.
GAME 1: Southern Vermont 15 – St. Michael's 5
The Mountaineers never trailed in the opener after scoring three runs in the first inning and another four in the second. SVC continued to pad its lead the rest of the way to cruise to the win.
Southern Vermont senior first baseman Ryan Serrato (Whittier, Calif.) recorded a 4-5 performance at the plate while knocking in three runs and scoring three more. Senior center fielder Zack Stacey (Saratoga, N.Y.) went 3-4 with a walk, three runs scored, and two RBI's, and senior second baseman Dan Mason (Bloomingdale, N.J.) was 2-2 with three walks, four runs scored, and two runs batted in.
Junior lefty Ryan Richardson (Pasadena, Md.) picked up his first win (1-1) of the year from the mound—striking out four through the complete-game appearance.
SVC wasted no time in taking the upper hand—crossing the dish three times in the bottom of the first with the help of a two-run single by senior right fielder Cody Sullivan (Brunswick, N.Y.). The Mountaineers then tallied four runs in the third for a lead that proved to be good enough for the victory; Stacey laced a triple to plate the first run of the frame before Serrato cranked a bouncer over the SMC first baseman for Stacey to come home.
After Mason wrapped a two-run homer around the right-field foul pole in the third, the Knights finally got on the board with four runs in the fourth. SVC answered, however, as Serrato knocked home two with a double to right-center in the fifth, and two more Mountaineers then scored after Stacey sent a single out to left-center in the sixth.
GAME 2: Southern Vermont 14 – St. Michael's 5
SVC had another strong first in the backend of the twin bill—scoring three times in the top of the frame. St. Michael's would respond with three of its own in the home half of the box to tie it up, but the Mountaineers then plated seven over the next two innings for a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The teams traded solo scores over the next few at bats before SVC chalked up two in the seventh for good measure.
Serrato finished his spectacular day with a 3-4 showing—adding a walk, four RBI's, and three runs scored to his line. Mason, who moved to the catcher position, went 2-4 with a walk, five runs scored, and one run batted in while sophomore second baseman Zac Cronk (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) was 2-4 with two RBI's and two runs scored.
Junior right-hander Nick Gambardella (Hollywood, Fla.) made the start on the mound, but he got tagged with a no decision after striking out three through three innings of work. Senior righty Ryan Richards (Beaumont, Calif.) came in for relief and tossed the next two frames—giving up just one run on four hits to pick up the win (1-0) in his first appearance of the season.
A sacrifice fly was followed by a pair of run-scoring singles in the top of the first for Southern Vermont to take the edge, but the Knights came right back and pushed three across with the help of an RBI-double. Serrato broke the tie with a single through the right side in the second, and the Mountaineer bats then rallied for five runs in the third.
Cronk roped a double down the line in left for the first of those five to come around, and Mason would follow with a single up the middle to score Stacey soon after. Serrato then sent a double to right-center to score Mason and help make it a 10-3 ballgame.
Single-run innings went back-and-forth for SVC to bring a 12-5 advantage into the seventh, and that's when Serrato sent a towering shot over the fence in right for his third homer of the year.
– #LetsGoSVC –