SALISBURY, Md. -- Salisbury took the first game of a two-game set 12-5 against No. 10 Cortland State Saturday afternoon at the SU Baseball Field.
After getting off to a slow start, starter Dan Fein would register a quality start to pick up his second win of the young season. The lefthander gave up three runs, all earned, on seven hits. Fein struck out six while walking two batters.
The Red Dragons started the contest with a leadoff double by Adam Smith, who came around to score on a RBI groundout by Max Rosing for a 1-0 Cortland lead.
Salisbury (3-0) answered in the bottom half of the first to take the lead. Junior Kyle Hayman started the inning with a bunt single down the first base line. Freshman Pete Grasso moved him up with a line drive to left field, with senior Quinn Griffith putting two runners in scoring position after a sacrifice bunt. Junior Jordan Gowe was up next and capitalized on the opportunity, with a check-swing line drive that went down the first base line for a two-run single and a 2-1 SU lead.
Salisbury increased its lead in the third, when Grasso doubled, was advanced by Griffith and then scored on a passed ball as Gowe struck out but reached first for a 3-1 Sea Gull lead.
The Sea Gulls forced the Red Dragons to go their bullpen early in the contest. Cortland starter Brandon Serio went only 3.2 innings, allowing four runs, only two earned, on five hits. Tyler Brien came in and did not record out, facing two batters, allowing a hit and giving up a walk. Jake Shelly came in to record the last out of the fourth. In all, Cortland would use seven pitchers on the afternoon.
Cortland was able to cut the Salisbury lead to 4-2 when Mark DeMilio connected for his first home run of the season, an opposite-field shot over the right field fence. Fein would recover to get the next two batters and get out of the fifth without any further damage.
The Red Dragons would utilize the long ball again in the sixth inning to cut the Salisbury lead to 4-3 with a solo shot by Conrad Ziemendorf to right center.
Salisbury would respond in its half of the sixth, aided by good baserunning and a Red Dragon mistake. Senior Johnny Schiotis started the inning with a single and then was moved up 90 feet on a single by junior Bobby Sanzone. With junior Austin Barefoot at the plate, Cortland tried picking off Schiotis at second, who took off for third and was safe. He would score later in the at-bat after a wild pitch, making the score 5-3. Barefoot would pad the lead with a liner to center for a 6-3 SU advantage. From that point forward, the Sea Gulls controlled the contest.
Fein would work through the seventh, well over 100 pitches, but finished strong, recording his sixth strikeout for the final out of his afternoon.
Sophomore Jon Schmedel worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning and junior Kyle Hamby came in to finish the contest.
Sanzone led the Sea Gulls with three hits, while Barefoot, Griffith, Grasso and Hayman each had a pair of hits. Gowe and O'Neill each had a pair of RBIs to lead Salisbury.
No. 1 Linfield 6, St. Martin's 2
McMINNVILLE, Ore. -- Clayton Truex paced the Linfield offense with a three-run homer while Chris Haddeland threw eight scoreless innings as the top-ranked Wildcats got back to their winning ways with a 6-2 victory against St. Martin's on a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon at Roy Helser Field.
Truex sparked the ‘Cats (6-2) to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first with a three-run shot over the left-field fence, and a two-RBI single up the middle from Kekoa Kaulukukui in the sixth gave Linfield extra insurance in the latter stages of the game.
Carl Svanevick led the Saints (1-5) of the NCAA Division II Great Northwest Athletic Conference offensively, going 2-for-3 with a walk.
Haddeland was in command all afternoon, totaling a quiet five strikeouts but recording 12 groundouts and six flyouts, and retiring the side on three separate occasions to pick up his second win of the year.
No. 3 Kean 10, Baruch 4
UNION, N.J. -- Junior Charles Thielmann tossed eight innings allowing one earned run with nine strikeouts as third-ranked Kean opened the 2014 season with a 10-4 win against Baruch.
The contest, that was the opener for both, was put on the schedule Friday as the field was made playable after the Northeast has been hampered by snow this year. With such good weather, both teams were anxious to get on the diamond.
Sophomore Sal Taormina led the offense with a 1-for-4 day and four RBI, while teammate Joe O'Connor added three RBI of his own off two hits, including a double.
The Cougars (1-0) jumped on the board in their first bat and didn't look back. With two outs in the first, sophomore Ryan Kelley got the first hit of the season with a single up the middle. After swiping second, he scored the season's first run on a single from O'Connor. Junior Andy Lopez, who reached via a walk, would make it 2-0 after scoring on an RBI single from Taormina.
After trading single runs between the third and fourth, Kean gave themselves a cushion with a four spot in the bottom of the fourth. O'Connor provided the key hit, with a bases loaded, two RBI ground-rule double.
The Bearcats pulled within three (7-4) as they added two runs in their half of the seventh, aided by two Cougar miscues, but that would be a close as they would come as Kean responded with three runs in the eighth to seal the win.
Pinch-hitter Anthony Fischetti collected two RBI with one swing while Kelley finished with two hits, including a double. Starter Paul Perez suffered the loss for Baruch as he allowed five earned runs in three and a third innings of work.
No. 6 Trinity (Texas) 9, Southwestern 0
No. 6 Trinity (Texas) 17, Southwestern 5
GEORGETOWN, Texas -- Trinity (Texas) swept a three-game series with Southwestern by winning a doubleheader Saturday at Rockwell Field.
Trinity (8-1) shut out Southwestern 9-0 in the seven-inning opener, and then won 17-5 in an eight-inning run-rule game. On Friday, the Tigers began the weekend by edging the Pirates 8-7. The two teams are Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference rivals, but the three games on March 14-15 at Trinity will count in the SCAC standings. Southwestern dropped to 1-10 after the losses.
The Tigers explosive inning in the first game was the third, as Trinity broke a scoreless tie by putting six runs on the board. Outfielder Pat Hirschberg singled to center field, scoring shortstop Christian Muscarello. Designated hitter Julian Cronk smacked a three-RBI double to left center, scoring first baseman Nick Jewett, Hirschberg, and outfielder Jeremy Wolf. Connor Moore posted the final RBI of the inning, a single down the left field line which scored outfielder Austin Singer.
Cronk batted 2-3 with three RBI, while scoring two runs. Muscarello, who hit the leadoff double in the sixth, went 2-4 with an RBI and one run. Hirschberg (1-4) picked up an RBI with a walk in the three-run fifth inning.
Pitcher Zack Speer earned the victory and remained undefeated at 3-0. Speer pitched five innings, allowed two hits and four walks. He was relieved by Alex Herz and Colin Serkowski.
The Tigers had nine runs and 11 hits in the opening game, while Southwestern was limited to just three hits.
The second game was bit tighter at the beginning, as Trinity led 4-2 after three innings. Trinity scored two unearned runs in the top of the fifth, and Southwestern picked up one in the bottom half. Things began to open up in the sixth, as the Tigers produced four runs. Third baseman Carter McEachern tripled to left center, scoring Moore. Muscarello drove in McEachern with a single. Hirschberg pounded out a triple, and scored on a throwing error by the Southwestern shortstop. Muscarello also crossed the plate.
The final touches came in Trinity’s five-run eighth inning.
Moore batted 4-5 and scored four runs, while McEachern went 2-3, with an RBI and two runs scored. Hirschberg registered two triples in the second stanza, going 2-4 with and RBI and two runs. Muscarello hit 2-5 with three RBI and two runs, and Wolf also knocked in three runs.
Kyle Bogese got the nod and improved to 2-0. Bogese pitched for five innings, and allowed seven hits, two earned runs, six walks, while fanning seven Pirate players. Michael Walker relieved Bogese in the sixth and worked three effective innings for the save.
The Tigers lit up with 16 hits, and Southwestern had 11 in the slugfest.
