A terrific day of baseball yesterday featuring walk-off home runs, a no-hitter and a dramatic late-inning grand slam. To read the recap of our coverage of SUNY Maritime, click here. Let’s just right into the rest of the action.
Division-I:
As always, let’s start with Division-I. After falling yesterday, Stony Brook came out on top Saturday against Southeastern Louisiana, escaping with a 7-4 victory. Heading into the 5th inning, Stony Brook was trailing 3-1. Fast forward to the 6th inning and they held a 6-3 lead, thanks to a five-spot in the 5th. The five-run inning featured another Michael Wilson home run, as he delivered with a grand slam to put the Seawolves in a comfortable position to win the game. From this point forward, Stony Brook only allowed one more run over five innings of work. Offensively, Brandon Janofsky had a standout performance as he went 3-4 with an RBI. Brian Herrmann was credited with the win in this one, going five innings allowing three earned runs on five hits and four punch outs. Brandon Bonanno picked up the two-out save. Stony Brook plays Southeastern Lousiana today at 2 PM in a rubber match.
The slow start for Fordham finally saw a win, as the Rams defeated North Florida 8-5 in game one of their double header. From the beginning of this contest, Fordham seemed to be in control. Heading into the 7th inning, Fordham held a 5-4 lead. Needing a cushion, the Rams were able to deliver a three-spot to lead them to victory. Jake Mackenzie had a game to remember at the plate, going 4-5 out of the lead off spot with 2 RBI. Matt Tarabek and Nick Labella also finished with 2 RBI. Anthony Zimmerman got the win in relief, pitching two scoreless innings. Gabriel Karslo picked up the save.
After winning game one, the Rams dropped game two of the double header, 7-4. Right out of the gate, Fordham came out firing, putting up a four-spot in the first inning. This was highlighted by a Justin Bardwell thee-run home run. However, North Florida answered back and would tie the game up at four in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Unfortunately for the Rams, their bats stayed cold while North Florida’s heated up. Fordham wouldn’t score another run all game, and as a result suffered defeat. They complete their four-game series against North Florida today at 1:05 PM.
Division-II:
NYIT continues their read hot start under Head Coach Frank Catalanotto, as they defeated Franklin Pierce 7-2 in a combined no hitter. For the first time in school history, NYIT begins their season at 3-0. After struggling to find the zone in the first inning, Moises Robles settled in and dominated the Franklin Pierce lineup, going 5.1 innings allowing no hits, six walks and four strikeouts. Trailing 2-0 heading into the 3rd, NYIT put up a three-spot, followed by another run in the 4th inning. Holding a 4-2 lead, they never looked back. In total, they collected 14 hits throughout the game. Ryan Kuskowski led their offense, going 3-5 out of the DH spot. Ben McNeill finished with 2 RBI. Following Robles’ no-hit performance on the mound, Dean Fazah kept the streak going. He also finished his outing allowing no hits, over 3.2 innings of work. Clearly, this was an extremely impressive win for NYIT. They play Stonehill today at 9 AM for their final game in Myrtle Beach.
LIU Post extended their winning streak to three on Saturday as they defeated Concordia 5-4. After surrendering two runs in the opening frame of the game, Post answered quickly with a four-spot in the bottom half of the first. This was highlighted by a 2 RBI single courtesy of Joe Piscitelli. Things would stay tied until the 5th inning, where Concordia tied the game at 4. With many opportunities, Post couldn’t take the lead. However, they came through when it mattered the most. With a runner in scoring position, Zach Fritz drove in the game winning run in walk off fashion, providing the Pioneers with another victory. He finished the day with two hits and two RBI. Brian Kavanaugh picked up the win in relief, pitching four scoreless innings and surrendering only three hits. LIU Post plays their final game in Myrtle Beach today at 9 AM.
The slow start for Molloy continued on Saturday as they dropped both games of their double header. Their pitching and defense struggled significantly in game one, as they lost to Stonehill 10-7. Although they strung together 15 hits offensively, they couldn’t hold it together. Molloy came out of the gates firing, putting up a five-spot in the bottom half of the first inning. Jake McCarthy finished this game with 2 RBI, along with Mike Wall. After their offensive explosion in the first inning, the bats went cold. Stonehill took a 6-5 lead in the 5th inning, but Molloy was able to tie it up. Unfortunately, their bats could not keep up and their pitching and defense flat lined at the wrong time. In total, Molloy surrendered five errors. Following the errors came base hits, and Stonehill clearly took advantage of this throughout the game.
In game two, Molloy suffered another blowout loss against Southern Connecticut by a score of 15-5. With the loss, they fall to 0-3 on the young season. Once again, their bats got off to a hot start, as they put up a four-spot in the bottom half of the 2nd inning to give them a lead early. At the plate, Molloy combined for nine hits. Thomas Brady led the Lions offense going 2-4 with 2 RBI at the plate. Mike Wall also had a multi-hit game, going 2-3 with an RBI. Although their bats seem to be starting off the season fairly hot, their pitching is running into some serious trouble. In total, they surrendered 20 hits and 12 earned runs. If they wish to compete in the ECC this year, they must make some adjustments.
After their 7-7 tie on Friday, Queens swept their double header on Saturday. In game one, Queens defeated Nyack 8-4. Throughout this game, it was evident their bats were hot as they strung together 15 hits. Louis Antos continued to display his hot bat, as he finished 4-4 with a home run, 2 RBI and a walk. Eric Roubal and Jon Strauss both had strong games at the plate, as they recorded three hits each. On the mound, Dennis Buckstein was the winning pitcher. He started the game for Queens, allowing three hits and one earned run over five innings. Kevin Kochen picked up the save, firing 2.1 scoreless innings.
In game two of their double header, the bats stayed hot for Queens as they walked out with a 13-11 victory. Obviously, this game was a back and forth offensive battle. In total, Queens had six different players combine for multi hit performances. All around, it was a great offensive display. Joe O’Rourke and Anthony Scotti both had 2 RBI in the victory. With the victory, Queens moves to 2-0-1 on the season. Their next game is March 4th against Concordia.
