Yesterday was the first taste of a day filled with college baseball action in close to one year. Three local Division-I programs were in action. We covered Stony Brook’s season-opening DH sweep over Sacred Heart, which you can read about here.
Here’s the other two schools as well.
Division-I:
St. John’s defeated UMASS-Lowell by the score of 2-1 in a swift 2 hours, 18 minutes. Nick Mondak got the start for the Red Storm and was effective, going six shutout innings with seven strikeouts, allowing just two hits and a walk.
His offense did not give him much to work with against UMASS-Lowell starter Collin Duffley. The offenses traded zeros for the first three innings, but the Johnnies got on the board in the home half of the fourth inning on an RBI ground out off the bat of Mitchell Henshaw to score DH David Glancy.
In the next inning, Glancy ripped an RBI single to score Ryan Hogan to make it a 2-0 game.
After Mondak was lifted, Sonny Fauci came on in relief and worked around a walk in the seventh inning to fire up a zero. He did allow a run to score in the eighth, though, on an RBI single by Robert Gallagher.
Ethan Routzahn came in for the ninth inning and fired a 1-2-3 inning thanks to three ground outs to end the game.
The teams will be back in action today (weather pending) at 3 pm.
Hofstra improved to 3-1 with a DH sweep over La Salle in Philadelphia by the scores of 7-0 and 4-2.
In Game 1, Jack Jett continued his outstanding start to the 2021 season with eight shutout innings, allowing just an infield single in the sixth and two walks. He struck out nine batters in a completely dominant outing to get his first win of the season.
His offense backed him with plenty of runs. They got on the board in the third inning on an RBI single by Brian Goulard to score Austin Gauthier. That was all the runs he would need.
They added four runs in the fifth inning on an error, a sac fly by Goulard, another error and a bases loaded walk to Aidan Larkin. In the sixth inning, they added an insurance run on a double steal that scored Anthony D’Onofrio and in the eighth, Austin Gauthier hit a solo HR to make it 7-0.
Gauthier now has 4 hits in 10 at bats with 10 walks and a home run to start the season. Not a bad way to kick off a senior season.
In Game 2, Brad Camarda started for the Pride was gave up two runs in the first inning. He wound up getting reliever by Mark Faello after just two innings of work, who was very effective in this game. The offense slept walked through the first five innings but woke up in the sixth. Brian Goulard ripped a game-tying two-run double to score D’Onofrio and Gauthier.
The game remained tied into the eighth, when Ryan Morash gave the Pride the lead with an RBI double to left to score Rob Weissheier. They added another on a sac fly by Alex Sica to score Goulard.
Chris Mott threw a scoreless eighth inning and closer John Mikolaicyk struck out the side in the ninth to slam the door on the 4-2 victory.
They will take off today and tomorrow due to the forecast and play another double header on Monday at 11 and 2:30 pm.
