St. Mary's City, Md. – The St. Mary's College of Maryland baseball team ruined Widener University's season-opener Sunday afternoon as the Seahawks swept the visiting Pride in St. Mary's home-opener at the Hawk's Nest. St. Mary's posted a come-from-behind 7-6 win in the first half of the twin bill and followed that up with a 4-1 victory in the nightcap.
Sophomore second baseman Luke Green (Bowie, Md./DeMatha Catholic) was the hero in the first game as Green drew the game-winning walk with bases loaded and two outs on the board, bringing home first-year pinch runner Ben Goldsmith (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) for the game-winning run. The run capped off the Seahawks' six-run rally in the seventh.
Widener (0-2) was on the verge of picking up a season-opening win in the first game as the Pride scored at least one run in the first four innings and headed into the bottom of the seventh with a 6-1 advantage. Junior leftfielder Eric Skrzyniarz (Bethesda, Md./Winston Churchill) started off the inning for the Seahawks by reaching on an error and St. Mary's cycled through their lineup, collecting four doubles, two singles and two walks.
Junior reliever Sam Coe (Bethesda, Md./Walter Johnson) notched the win as Coe pitched two hitless innings, retiring the side in order in his first inning and facing just four batters in his second. Green, sophomore catcher Jared Eaker (Mechanicsville, Md./Leonardtown), and senior shortstop Corey Napier (Hollywood, Md./St. Mary's Ryken) led the Seahawks' at the plate in the first game with two hits apiece while sophomore DH Matt Holdefer (Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake) tallied three RBI.
In the nightcap, the Pride staked an early one-run lead in the top of the second as senior catcher Dennis Hocker (Coral Springs, Fla./Coral Springs Charter) led off with a double and then came home on fielder's choice to sophomore first baseman Marc Noyalis (Dallas, Pa./Dallas).
St. Mary's (3-2) responded in the third with three runs as Eaker doubled down the right field line to drive in senior outfielder Mike Schmidt (Burtonsville, Md./Blake) and sophomore outfielder Brad Dioguardo (Owings Mills, Md./Franklin) for the 2-1 lead with one out. Eaker then crossed home plate on Napier's double to right center. Widener got out of the inning with a ground out and pop out to the next two Seahawk batters.
The Seahawks added an insurance run in the fifth as junior captain Alex Lenovitz (Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall) drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home Eaker who had connected on a two-out single to keep the inning alive.
Senior captain Wick Eisenberg (Towson, Md./Friends) threw the complete game, one-hit victory, striking out four Pride batters against just one walk. Eaker and Napier both went 2-for-3 at the plate while Eaker scored twice and drove in two runs.
Widener was led at the plate by Hocker who went 3-for-6, including a two-out, two-run home run in the first inning of the first game. On the mound, Noyalis and junior RHP Glenn Stanners (Brookhaven, Pa./DelCo CC) took the losses for the Pride.
The Seahawks will be back in action this Wednesday, February 27 when St. Mary's hosts No. 8 Christopher Newport University in non-conference action at 2:00 pm in the Hawk's Nest.
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