FEBRUARY 28, 2016
KING'S BASEBALL SWEEPS YESHIVA 10-0, 26-2 TO OPEN 2016 SEASON
FLEMINGTON, N.J. --- The King's College baseball team used great pitching and excellent hitting to sweep Yeshiva University in the season opening doubleheader at Diamond Nation in Flemington, N.J. on Sunday. The Monarchs won the first game 10-0 and then took the nightcap 26-2.
In game one King's opened up the scoring with five runs in the second inning. Nick Trivigino knocked in the first run when he legged out an infield single to shortstop with runners on second and third. Zack Godfrey knocked in the second run on a triple to center field with two outs in the innings. After Godfrey scored on a passed ball, Tom Gibbons hit a triple and then scored on an error by the second basemen. Bruce Breithaupt knocked Chris Rebar for the final run of the innings with a double to right center.
In the fifth inning Tyler Reynolds hit a sac fly to right with runners on second and third to score one run. After Brad Wilkins walked Sean Padden scored on a wild pitch. Trivigino then singled to center to score Wilkins and Godfrey tripled to right center to score Trivigino. The Monarchs added one more run in the sixth when Padden doubled to right and then scored on a throwing error by the shortstop.
Andrew Fisher was brilliant on the mound for the Monarchs pitching six innings allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out seven. Jared Smigelski pitched a scoreless seventh striking out two.
The Monarchs dominated the second game from the very beginning. After Tom Gibbons doubled to begin the game the next two batters walked. Padden then hit a grand slam to left field to clear the bases. While King's was still celebrating Kyle Lupas hit a home run to almost the same exact spot in left field. With two outs in the inning Chris Lupole and Shawn Stone walked, Gibbons knocked a single to right center to score Lupole, and then Chris Rebar homered down the right field line to give King's an early 9-0 lead.
In the second Lupole hit a two-run single up the middle and then Gibbons hit him home with a single up the middle to give King's a 12-0 lead after two innings. The Monarchs exploded for anther nine runs in the third. Lupole knocked in Dan Hartson with a double to left field to begin the scoring. After Stone and Sean McKee walked Rebar hit his second home run and the team's second grand slam of the game to right center. After a walk and a single Lupas doubled to right center to clear the bases and then scored on a single by Hartson to give King's a commanding 21-0 lead after just three innings of play.
Yeshiva was able to get on the board with two runs in the fourth inning but King's responded and took advantage of a couple of errors with a run in the fifth and four in the sixth to close out the scoring.
Nick Deno struck out seven of the first nine batters he faced and pitched four innings and allowed just three hits and two runs to pick up the win. John Wickiser pitched three innings in relief striking out six and allowing just two hits.
Chris Rebar led King's with three hits, two of which were home runs, four runs scored, and seven RBIs in the two games. Tom Gibbons had six hits in seven at-bats, scored three times and knocked in two. Kyle Lupas recorded five hits, one home run, scored two runs, and knocked in six. Sean Padden had three hits, one home run, and four runs scored, and four RBIs. Christian Pack hit three doubles and scored twice while Chris Lupole had three hits, three runs, and three RBIs.
King's will be back in action next Sunday with a doubleheader against Juniata College at 1:30 p.m. in Auburndale, Florida as part of the team's spring break trip to compete in the Russ Matt Central Florida Invitational.