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| Photo Credit: Molloy Athletics |
Dowling made quick work of Bridgeport, with an easy 14-0 win. ECC Pitcher of the Year Tyler Badamo breezed through seven innings, striking out nine, limiting them to six hits and one walk for his eighth win of the season.
The offense backed him with plenty of offense, including 18 hits. Adam Schuster went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and an RBI. Jon Cruz went 3-for-6 with two RBI and two runs scored. JC Brandmeier went 3-for-4 with one RBI and a run scored. Dan Parisi, Rob Veltre, Andrew Abreu and RJ Going all had two hits.
They broke the game open with a 10-run sixth inning to put the game out of reach. They are now 32-13 on the season and will host Molloy at noon, with the winner playing in the ECC Championship.
Molloy pulled off the surprising upset of No. 2 seed St. Thomas Aquinas, who entered with a 30-14 record. The Lions got out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single by ECC Rookie of the Year Kevin Podell and another by John Galanoudis. Another freshman standout, Ron Bauer, drove in a run with an RBI double in the fourth inning.
The Lions relied on senior ace Max Schonfeld who fired a complete game, allowing only an unearned run while scattering eight hits and striking out two. He lowered his already impressive ERA to 1.61 and–if it holds–he would own the lowest single-season ERA in program history and career ERA.
They added three insurance runs to keep the lead safe, but Schonfeld did not need it. They will take on Dowling at noon today with the opportunity for another upset.
