BENNINGTON, Vt. — Southern Vermont College took a pair of New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) baseball games at Daniel Webster College Wednesday afternoon, winning 3-1 and then 10-9 to sweep the season series over the Eagles.
The league doubleheader, which had been scheduled to be played at SVC, was moved to DWC's Harvey Woods Field Wednesday morning due to field conditions at Southern Vermont. The Mountaineers still batted as the home team and did not allow the unforeseen early road trip to hinder their recent success.
SVC went up 2-0 after the third in the day's opener before DWC tacked up its lone run in the fifth. The Mountaineers had an answer, however, as they scored one in the bottom of the inning for a piece of insurance, and Southern Vermont was able to hold onto that slim separation through the seventh for the first win.
The Mountaineers then trailed 8-2 after the top of the fourth in game two, only to tie it at 9-9 over the next inning and a half. That score stood until the bottom of the seventh when a lead-off double came around to score the game-winning run.
Southern Vermont improves to 11-12 on the year and 6-3 in NECC action, being winners in eight of its last nine games. The team is set to next play at Norwich University on Thursday in a 3:30 p.m. non-conference contest.
The pair of SVC junior pitchers who received decisions from the hill moved up the program's all-time wins chart, righty Dylan Angelo (Ft. Johnson, N.Y.) tying the team's top total with his ninth career victory from the mound while classmate Joshua Hay (South Glens Falls, N.Y.) is now tied for fourth all-time after picking up his sixth career win.
With Wednesday's victories, the Mountaineers take the edge in the all-time series between the two teams, now being 28-27 against Daniel Webster while having won eight of their last 10 meetings with the Eagles.
GAME 1: Southern Vermont 3 – Daniel Webster 1
SVC crossed the dish once in the bottom of the first and then again in the third to go up 2-0. The Eagles got one back in the fifth, only to see Southern Vermont respond with a lone run in the bottom of the frame to go back in front by two. The Mountaineers clung to that edge through the final inning and a half to win the series after capturing the first victory of the three-game set back on March 25.
SVC freshman center fielder Zack Stacey (Saratoga, N.Y.) went 2-for-2 with a run scored while sophomore right fielder Niko D'Agnese (Mahopac, N.Y.) tallied two RBIs in the opener. Sophomore left fielder Luigi Magliocca (Broadalbin, N.Y.) was 2-for-2 with a run scored, and sophomore Rob Spatafore (Mahopac, N.Y.) was 1-for-2, extending his hitting streak to tie what was a team-best six games.
Angelo picked up his second straight win in as many starts from the rubber, both being Conference victories, while allowing just the one run on five hits and three walks. He struck out two Eagle batters on the day while moving to 4-1 on the year from the bump.
Mountaineer freshman Dan Mason (Bloomingdale, N.Y.) gunned down a DWC runner trying to steal second to end the top of the first; he would then throw out another in the fifth, that being his 14th runner caught stealing this season for him to rank second in the NECC.
SVC then came up to the plate and took the early edge in the bottom of the first, putting up a run after Stacey led-off with a single to right. A D'Agnese bunt and another ground out moved the runner to third, and a passed ball then made way for Stacey to come in with the day's opening run.
Angelo allowed just a lone two-out hit in the top of the second before retiring the DWC side in order in the third. SVC extended its advantage in the bottom of the inning as Magliocca got aboard with a lead-off double to right. Stacey singled to short to put runners at the corners, and a D'Agnese grounder to the left side of the Eagle infield made way for Magliocca to score and put the Mountaineers up 2-0.
Southern Vermont wasn't in the field for long as Angelo gave up just a walk to the Daniel Webster offense in the fourth. The Mountaineers went down 1-2-3 in the home half of the box before DWC got its run on a pair of hits in the fifth.
SVC pushed it back to a two-run game quickly as Spatafore singled to center to start the bottom of the inning before a Magliocca bunt hit moved him up 90 feet. Two ground outs ensued for Spatafore to come around from second, the latter of those being off of D'Agnese's bat for his second RBI of the game.
Daniel Webster threatened to score with a double in the sixth, but Angelo induced an inning-ending grounder to second to get back in the dugout. A Mountaineer runner was thrown out trying to steal second before the Eagles' pitching retired the next two batters, sending the game to the seventh with SVC still up just 2-0.
Angelo finished off his complete game with ease, striking out the lead-off batter before getting the next two to ground out for him to close out the front-end victory.
GAME 2: Southern Vermont 10 – Daniel Webster 9
DWC put up three runs in the top of the first of game two, only to see Southern Vermont trim its deficit with a lone run in both the first and the second. The Eagles would extend their upper hand, notching four runs in the third and another in the top of the fourth to go up 8-2. SVC came back with four runs of its own in the bottom of the fourth, and the scoring continued as Daniel Webster tallied a run in the top of the fifth to make it 9-6.
That lead didn't last for long, however, as the Mountaineers kept fighting and responded with three runs in the bottom of the fifth to tie it at 9-9. Neither team could score in the sixth, and DWC then stranded a runner on base in the seventh. Mason started the bottom of the box with a double to right, and Magliocca followed with a one-out connection to short that was misplayed by Daniel Webster for Mason to round third and touch home with the game-winning run.
D'Agnese was 3-for-4 with three RBIs in the day-cap while Mason went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and another batted in. Stacey got on base twice with a 1-for-3 performance and a walk, adding two runs scored and an RBI to his line.
Sophomore shortstop John Arancio (Oradell, N.J.) and junior catcher Anthony Mercuri (Ridge, N.Y.) both had a 2-for-4 showing at the plate while each scoring two runs in the win. With another lone hit in the first game of the day, Mercuri extended his hitting streak to a team-best seven games.
Hay tossed the final 2.2 innings of the contest, allowing just one hit and one walk in that time while striking out two for his second win of the year (2-4).
After Daniel Webster got its three runs on two hits and the help of two SVC fielding miscues in the top of the first, SVC came back with one in the bottom of the box. Stacey started the Mountaineers' at bat with a double to center, and he moved up to third on the next plate appearance. Southern Vermont sophomore designated hitter Austin Teitelbaum (Westhampton, N.Y.) then knocked his teammate in with a single to left, making it a 3-1 ballgame.
The Mountaineers got even closer in the second after the Eagles went down in order. Mason got on with a single and moved to second with a Daniel Webster error before tagging up and making his way to third with two outs. A second DWC error in the inning then allowed Mason to come home and get his team within one.
That separation was quickly extended, however, as the Eagles put up their four runs in the top of the third and a single run in the fourth. SVC stormed back, getting four runs to cross in the bottom of the fourth with three hits and another two DWC mishaps. Arancio scored on a Mason ground out to first, and an ensuing ground out to third by Spatafore plated Mercuri to set the score at 8-4. With the two down, a Daniel Webster error gave way for Magliocca to score all the way from first, and a following D'Agnese single then allowed Stacey to trot home from third.
Daniel Webster got one back in the fifth, scoring on a Mountaineer miscue with two outs to make it 9-6. Southern Vermont then loaded the bases with two outs and got one run in as Stacey worked a walk to push Arancio in from third. D'Agnese then came through with a big two-run single to the gap in left center, Mercuri and Spatafore both scoring to tie it up.
Both sides went down 1-2-3 in the sixth before a Daniel Webster lead-off walk in the seventh was erased on a strike out-throw out double play, that runner caught stealing being tossed out this time by Mercuri. After Hay got an inning-ending fly out to center, Mason started the bottom of the frame with the double to right. Two batters later, similar to the play in the second, Magliocca reached safely on an error by the DWC shortstop which allowed Mason to round third and come home with the game-winning run.