by Andy Smith
It has not been a memorable start to the season for the local Division-I programs although it certainly was a great week for a couple of the Division-II and III schools. Here’s how the action on Friday went down.
Division-I:
Mac Horvath 💣
Walk-off Edition 😎#GoHeels pic.twitter.com/75z2lbQd4o
— Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) March 3, 2023
Stony Brook 2, University of North Carolina 3
UNC opened the scoring in the fourth inning off an RBI single by shortstop Colby Wilkerson. Stony Brook evened the score off a solo home run by left fielder Matt Brown-Eiring in the sixth inning. Jared Bellissimo delivered a strong start by holding the Tar Heels to just one run through five innings and struck out five batters along the way. UNC got back on top in the seventh inning with a solo shot by backstop Tomas Frik. Evan Fox responded for the Seawolves with a solo blast of his own in the eighth inning to even the score once again. Pitchers kept the score even in the 9th and 10th innings. However, in the 11th inning, UNC walked off with their third solo home run of the day, this time by third baseman Mac Horvath. These teams will play the second game of the three game set Saturday at 2:00PM EST.
North Florida 13, Fordham 7
North Florida got out to a hot start thanks to first baseman Gabriel Esquivel, who crushed a three-run home run in the opening frame. Fordham responded by scoring two consecutive runs, both courtesy of infielder Will Findlay. Findlay launched a solo shot in the second inning and an RBI single in the fourth. North Florida added onto their lead in the fourth inning by tacking on three runs, via an RBI double and two RBI singles. In the fifth inning both teams traded long balls, but North Florida got the better end of it. Zach Selinger hit a solo shot which got the Rams back in the game, only to have North Florida hit three in their half of the inning. Esquivel connected on his second of the game, and Peyton Sybrant and Dallen Leach both hit solo home runs. Leach then would hit his second home run of the game in the seventh inning, this time scoring three runs. Fordham continued to fight back and both Findlay (ninth inning) and Selinger (eighth inning) launched their second long balls of the game. A two-run RBI triple by shortstop by Chris Genaro gave the Rams their seventh run of the game in the ninth inning. These teams will play a doubleheader Saturday with the first game starting at 2:05 PM EST and the second game starting at 6:00PM EST.
The Citadel 6, LIU 1
The Sharks got on the board first thanks to alert baserunning by center fielder Seth Surrett and Christopher Hund who executed a double steal in the third inning resulting in Surrett scoring. However, Citadel took control in the fourth inning and did not look back. Two RBI groundouts in the fourth inning by right fielder Wells Sykes and first baseman Noah Mitchell gave the Bulldogs the lead. Mitchell found himself on the score sheet again, this time in the sixth inning via an RBI triple. Second baseman Travis Elliot added onto the lead in the same inning with an RBI single.
Elliot helped to extend the Bulldogs lead to four in the seventh inning by bringing in his second RBI of the game. Center fielder Luke Montenery added on the sixth run for Citadel in the eighth inning via a sacrifice fly. Two strong performances by Citadel pitchers Cameron Reeves (6IP, 1ER) and Conner Cummiskey, who tallied the save with three shutout innings with four punchouts. The series continues Saturday at 2:00PM EST.
Hofstra
Game 1: Hofstra 3, Nevada 4
Game 2: Hofstra 6, Nevada 15
Nevada jumped out to an early two run lead in the second inning off a two-run blast by Jeff Bauser and an RBI single by Mason Hirata. Nevada added another tally in the third inning thanks to an RBI single by first baseman Jaxon Woodhouse. The Hofstra Pride bats woke up in the fourth inning and put up three runs. Will Kennedy started the run by scoring off of a wild pitch. Two sac flies followed by first baseman Steve Harrington and right fielder Jake Liberatore, which closed the gap to just one. However, Kade Morris, who went the distance in this opening game, held it down after the fourth inning and prevented Hofstra from tying the game.
Leadoff hitter and third baseman Ryan Morash was aggressive to open the second game. Morash scored on a wild pitch in the first inning and then connected on a two run single which gave Hofstra a three run lead in the second inning. Nevada responded to the hot start by the Pride and scored ten unanswered runs in the next three frames. Left fielder Taylor Holder connected on two extra base hits which scored three, and a two-run home run by catcher Matt Clayton capped off the overwhelming ten run stretch. Hofstra found themselves back on the score sheet in the sixth inning via an RBI groundout by second baseman Santino Rosso. However, Nevada did not flinch, and continued to add on to their lead. An RBI double by Michael Ball extended the lead to eight runs in the sixth inning. Nevada then added three more runs in the eighth inning. Hofstra kept fighting, and tacked on two more in the ninth. Jason Doktorczyk delivered a quality start for Nevada and notched his first win of the season. These two teams will be back at it on Saturday 11:05 PST.
Division-III:
St. Joseph’s
Game 1: St. Joseph’s 4, Neumann 1
Game 2: St. Joseph’s 15, Neumann 4
Neumann jumped out to a quick one run lead in the first inning off an RBI single by catcher Ryan Lopez. It was a pitcher’s duel up until the sixth inning. Andrew Monda (Saint Joseph’s) threw a complete game (7 innings) and shut the door after giving up a run in the first inning. Jonathan Baker of Neumann was strong as well as he held down the Golden Eagles offense through five innings. However, in the sixth inning the Saint Joseph’s bats woke up and tallied four runs. The rally began off an RBI single from shortstop Ryan Decoursey which evened the score. The next batter, designated hitter John Lynch, launched a three run blast which gave the Golden Eagles a three run lead and they never looked back.
Game 2 began in a similar way. The Neumann Knights opened the scoring once again by tallying a run in the opening frame. Saint Joseph’s responded quickly and evened the score in the bottom half of the inning from a solo blast by second baseman James Maggio. Neumann was able to reclaim their lead off two RBI singles (Shawn Vega and Ryan Lopez) in the second inning. The Golden Eagles took control of the game with an incredible ten runs in the third inning. Ryan Decoursey carried over his play from the opening game by bringing in three runs off of two extra base hits. Saint Joseph’s didn’t stop, and continued to attack Neumann pitchers and added to their lead in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings. James Maggio had an impressive game with four hits and also tallied his second RBI in the sixth inning. Neumann finished their scoring in the final frame via an RBI walk by Christian Diaz. The Golden Eagles are back on the diamond Sunday against Ithaca at 1:00 PM EST.
Maritime
Game 1: Maritime 2, Northwestern (MN) 7
Game 2: Maritime 6, Northwestern (MN) 8
Northwestern jumped out to an early one-run lead in the second inning off a throwing error which allowed first baseman Ben Spores to score. Spores ended up going 4-4 at the plate in the opening game. Maritime evened up the score in the third inning off of an RBI single by first baseman Christian Ark. Ark also had quite the start to the day by going 4-4 in the first game. Northwestern added on two runs in the fourth inning via an RBI double and a fielder’s choice. The Eagles continued their attack and tacked on two more runs in the sixth inning this time off two RBI singles. Maritime responded in the same inning and scored one run off a fielder’s choice. Northwestern bolstered their lead in the seventh inning thanks to an RBI double by Gilbert Garcia Jr., and a sac fly by shortstop Bryce Crabb.
Ark stayed hot, opening the scoring with an RBI single for the Privateers in the first inning of the second game. Maritime added onto their lead in the first inning with an RBI walk, fielder’s choice and another RBI single. The Eagles got on the board in the third inning by scoring three runs. Second baseman Isaac Pilon woke up the bats with an RBI knock and shortstop Benji Bruce capped it off with an RBI double. Northwestern tied things up in the following inning off Pilon’s second RBI single of the game and a sac fly by left fielder Peyton Christenson. Ark once again came up big for the Privateers and added another RBI (via a sacrifice fly) giving Maritime a one run lead. However, in the sixth inning, the Eagles put up three runs which sealed the game. Pitcher Bryce Crabb scored his second run of the game, this time off a wild pitch and both Spores and right fielder Grady Karges hit RBI singles. Crabb delivered a strong performance on the mound by striking out 10 hitters across six innings. Maritime will face-off against Monmouth (IN) Saturday at 1:00PM EST.
