FROM PRESS RELEASES
James Madison 6 Hofstra 2
Hempstead, NY- Justin Wood pitched a complete game, allowing only four hits and striking out six to lead James Madison past Hofstra in game two of a Colonial Athletic Association series Saturday afternoon. Trevor Knight had two RBI for the Dukes while Matt Prokopowicz contributed a single and a run scored for the Pride. Hofstra falls to 8-18 (0-11 CAA) while James Madison improves to (18-7, 11-3 CAA).
After five scoreless innings James Madison scored five runs in the sixth to go ahead for good. Mike Fabiaschi led off the inning with a walk and advanced to third on an errant pick-off attempt by catcher Elliot Hagburg. Alex Foltz drove Fabiaschi home with a single up the middle to put the Dukes ahead, 1-0. James Madison added four more runs, highlighted by a two-RBI single by Trevor Knight that drove home Brett Sellers and Joe Lake. Knight came around to score himself on a sacrifice fly by Matt Browning to put James Madison up, 5-0.
In the seventh inning, Matt Prokopowicz singled up the middle with two outs to get things started for the Pride. He advanced to second base on a wild pitch, then came around to score when James Madison first baseman Steven Caseres dropped a pop-up in the infield off the bat of Hagburg. Hagburg, who had advanced to second base on the error, came around to score when Jeff Guthridge shot a single into left field, cutting the James Madison lead to 5-2.
However, it was not enough as the Dukes added another run in the eighth inning to go ahead 6-2 and Wood pitched the final two innings unscathed to pick up his second victory of the year. Wood carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning before giving up a single to Hagburg.
Nick Panzarella started the game on the mound for Hofstra, completing five innings without giving up a run before running into trouble in the sixth. He struck out four and allowed four runs in the losing effort.
The Pride return to action tomorrow afternoon to conclude the CAA series with James Madison. Game time is set for 1 p.m.
William and Mary 6 Delaware 2
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William and Mary baseball team evened its series against Delaware with a 6-2 victory at Plumeri Park on Saturday afternoon.
Junior RHP Jeremy Neustifter (1-2) registered the win, as he allowed just one earned run on four hits and two walks in 5.1 innings of work. Senior RHP Pat Kantakevich recorded his third save of the season, working 3.2 scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Sophomore RHP Brad Miller (2-1) took the loss.
Senior Tim Park went 1-for-2 with two RBI and a run scored, while classmate Paul Juliano finished the afternoon 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Delaware (8-15, 3-5) took an early 2-0 advantage with a pair of runs in the third inning. Ryan Cuneo led off the frame with a double to right. Jon Duvall then put down a sacrifice bunt, and Neustifter’s throw to first got away as Cuneo came around to score. Kyle Davis plated the second run with a sacrifice fly to deep center.
The Tribe (17-10, 8-6) put three runs across in the fourth to take a 3-2 lead. Juliano began the inning with a single through the right side, and junior Tyler Stampone was hit by a pitch to put two runners aboard. After junior Ben Guez moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, junior Mike Sheridan drew an intentional walk to load the bases. Park then drove in a pair of runs with a double down the right field line, while senior Greg Maliniak plated Sheridan when he grounded out to second.
W&M added another run in the following inning to go ahead 4-2. Junior Lanny Stanfield led off with a double to deep center and advanced to third with a stolen base. Juliano then plated him with a sacrifice fly to right in foul territory.
With freshman RHP Joe Tebaldi on the mound in relief the College added two more insurance runs in the eighth inning. Guez got things started with a leadoff double to right. After Sheridan popped out to the pitcher, Guez stole third and scored when the catcher’s attempt to throw him out got away. Park and Maliniak both reached base when they were hit by pitches, and both runners moved into scoring position on a balk. Junior Jeff Jones then plated Park with a sacrifice fly to center.
The teams will play the series finale on Sunday at 1 p.m.
UNC-Wilmington 3 VCU 2
RICHMOND, Va. – Freshman David Shambley’s single through the right side in the top of the eighth inning plated the eventual game-winning run as UNC Wilmington edged Virginia Commonwealth, 3-2, in Colonial Athletic Association baseball action at The Diamond.
The Seahawks, who tied Kentucky and Arizona State for the longest winning streak in the nation this season, improved to 20-4 on the season and 11-0 in the circuit with their 19th consecutive win. The Rams dropped their sixth straight and stand at 5-18 and 0-7.
Freshman reliever Cameron Roth won his second game of the week to run his record to 3-0 and fellow rookie Stephen Harrold earned his third straight save. Junior started Brad Holt didn’t figure in the decision, but fanned seven and allowed two runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings.
Freshman Jesse Reid (1-1) was saddled with the loss for the Rams. VCU starter Ian Thomas held the Seahawks in check during his 6 1/3 innings of work. Thomas scattered nine hits and allowed two runs while striking out five.
Seniors Jason Appel, who tied his career-long hitting streak of 12 games, and Daniel Hargrave and sophomore Mike Rooney led UNCW, who stranded 13 runners on base, with two hits a piece.
Senior Nate Hall, who drove in two of UNCW’s three runs, lifted a sacrifice fly to center in the first to give the Seahawks an early 1-0 lead.
Hall later doubled off the center field wall in the fifth to score Appel, who reached on a bunt single with one out.
The Rams broke through in the sixth against Holt with a run to narrow their deficit to 2-1. Sophomore Matt Leskiw drew a lead off walk and advanced to third on sophomore Richard Gonzalez’s single to right. Junior Jared Bolden lined a sacrifice fly to center that brought in Leskiw.
Freshman Eric Curtis drew the Rams even with a RBI single in the seventh off Holt. Jared Wright lined a single to center leading off the inning and moved into scoring position following a sacrifice bunt. Curtis’ single knocked Holt out of the game and Roth came on in relief. After a walk to senior pinch hitter Kwan Evans, Leskiw hit into a check-swing, soft line drive double play back to the mound where Roth was able to catch Curtis off second base for the final out.
In the eighth for the Seahawks, senior Jes Snyder ignited the inning with a 1-out single to left. Rooney moved pinch runner Matt Holt to second after being hit by a pitch by Reid setting the scene for Shambley, whose older brother Will plays on the UNCW golf team, and his game-winning hit.
VCU loaded the bases in the ninth, but Harrold induced Gonzalez into a fly ball to center to close out the game.
The series concludes on Sunday with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
NU 14 Georgia State 6
The Northeastern University baseball team pounded a season-high seven home runs on its way to a 14-6 win against Georgia State at The Field in Pantersville, Ga. on Saturday afternoon.
Each of the first six hitters in the Husky lineup homered in the game, with sophomore Frank Compagnone belting two long balls in the game. Sophomore David Gustafson and Compagnone set the tone for the offense at the top of the order, combining to go 6-10 with three home runs, a double, five RBI and seven runs scored in the game.
The big inning for the Northeastern came in the third, when the team posted seven runs, highlighted by home runs from junior Mike Tamsin and senior captain Josh Porter. It was the first home run of the season for both players.
Junior Jeff Thomson improved to 3-1 on the season after allowing four runs and striking out three in 6-1/3 innings of work. Senior Bobby Carrington finished the seventh and then sophomore Charly Bashara tossed two scoreless innings to finish the game.
NU evened the series at 1-1 with the win, improving to 10-9 overall and 3-5 in the CAA. Georgia State dropped to 16-9 on the season and 5-6 in the CAA. The game was delayed for an hour and a quarter in the bottom of the fourth when a passing thunderstorm came through. Junior Dan Zehr will be on the mound for the Huskies in the rubber game on Sunday. Gametime is scheduled for 1 p.m.
George Mason 10 Old Dominion 5
The George Mason baseball team got early offense from every part of its lineup and the Patriots scored eight runs in the first three innings against Old Dominion on Saturday. That, coupled with Ryan Brecko’s superb relief pitching allowed Mason to take a 10-5 win over the Monarchs in Colonial Athletic Association action at Spuhler Field.
Brecko improve to 3-0 on the season allowing just three hits and one walk with no runs in six and two-thirds innings of work. Brent Weiss was 3 for 4 with three RBI and two runs and Chris Henderson and Justin Bour were each 2 for 5 with two RBI.
The Monarchs (14-12, 6-5) were able to score before the game was five minutes old. Jimmy Myles led off with a five-pitch walk, stole second and scored on a one-out hit by Bryan Cipolla. Mason (12-13, 7-3) responded in the bottom of the first, taking its first lead of the series. Spencer Wiggins and Chris Henderson led off with singles and Scott Krieger walked to load the bases. As he has all season, Justin Bour came through with a single through the right side to make it 2-1. Ryan Soares followed with an RBI single and Bour scored on Shane Davis’ groundout to make it 4-1.
In the second, Jake McAloose and Chris Buss drew one-out walks but Mason appeared to be out of the inning when Max Most hit a double-play ball to Mark Hill at third. But the officials called catcher’s interference to load the bases. Miles followed with a single up the middle to score two and Most scored on a throwing error on the play to make it 4-4. Miles went to third on a wild pitch and after Chris Keenan walked, Cipolla hit what looked to be a perfect sacrifice fly to give ODU the lead, but Miles was ruled to have left third early and Mason finally got its double play.
Mason retook the lead in the second as Ryan Uphouse led off with a walk and Brent Weiss tripled down the leftfield line to make it 5-4. Weiss scored on Wiggins’ ground out for a 6-4 lead. The Monarchs didn’t let it stand, though, as Anthony Shawler led off the third with a double down the right field line, David Burns followed with a single to right and McAloose brought home Shawler with a single to center. That ended the day for Mason starter Mike Modica and Ryan Brecko came on in relief. He got a pair of fly balls to extinguish the rally and preserve the lead.
In the bottom of the third, the offense continued to dominate. Bour led off with a single (raising his average to .447), Davis had a one-out hit and Uphouse was hit by a pitch with two outs to load the bases. Weiss followed with a two-run single to make it 8-5. Wiggins was hit by a pitch to once again load the bases but Henderson flew out to center strand the runners.
After the third inning, the game suddenly became a pitcher’s duel. From the fourth through the seventh the Patriots did not have a hit and Brecko turned in 1-2-3 innings in the sixth, seventh and eighth to keep the Monarchs from mounting a rally. Mason added insurance runs in the eighth against reliever Cory Toth. Weiss, Wiggins and Henderson all singled to lead off the inning to make it 10-5.
The Patriots and Monarchs conclude the three-game series on Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
Game 1: Towson 8 Albany 7
Game 2: Towson 4 Albany 2
TOWSON, Md. – For Coach Mike Gottlieb and the Tigers, there is no place like home. Led by sophomore shortstop Nick Natoli, who went 6-for-9 and scored three runs, the Tigers (11-14) continued their success at home by sweeping a doubleheader from Albany (4-19-1) in the final two games of their three-game weekend series at John B. Schuerholz Park on Saturday afternoon. After pulling out an 8-7 victory in the first game, the Tigers won the nightcap by 4-2, earning a three-game sweep over the Great Danes, who have lost nine games in a row. The Tigers are now 8-1 at Schuerholz Park this season.
In the seven-inning second game, the Tigers had to stage a two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth inning to win. Trailing by 2-1 with two outs in the last of the sixth, pinch hitter Matt Collins drew a walk. When junior leftfielder Aaron Gabrielian lined a double down the rightfield line, Collins scored the tying run all the way from first base. An intentional walk to pinch hitter Steve Yarsinsky gave the Tigers two base runners. Sophomore leftfielder Kevin Collins (then gave the Tigers a 4-2 lead when he blasted a two-run triple to centerfield.
Junior righthander Josh Squatrito retired Albany in the seventh inning to earn his second win of the season.
Despite some control problems, freshman righthander Spencer Patton shut out Albany on three hits through five innings and left the game with a 1-0 lead. Patton had three strikeouts but he walked two and hit three batters.
Squatrito relieved Patton in the sixth inning and gave up a leadoff single to senior rightfielder Mike Konstanty. Then, junior Ryan Gugel gave Albany a 2-1 lead when he clouted his third home run of the season, a two-run shot over the leftfield fence.
The Tigers had taken a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Natoli led off with a single, stole second base, went to third on a passed ball and scored on a sacrifice fly by senior Brian Conley.
In the nightcap, the Tigers outhit Albany by a 7-5 margin as Natoli and Gabrielian had three hits each.
In the opener, the Tigers had to rally from a 4-1 deficit in the third inning to edge the Great Danes.
The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Matt Collins singled to score Conley from second base.
The Great Danes tied the score in the second inning when Konstanty led off with a single and Gugel was hit by a pitch. After the runners moved up a base on a sacrifice bunt, junior centerfielder Gary Pitcheralle hit a sharp ground ball up the middle. At shortstop, Natoli robbed him of a base hit but Konstanty scored the tying run.
In the top of the third inning, Albany rallied for three runs to take a 4-1 lead. Sophomore second baseman Ralph Rizzo started the uprising with a double down the left field line. A double by senior catcher Tom Zink scored Rizzo to give Albany a 2-1 lead. With one out, sophomore leftfielder Brendan Rowland singled to left, scoring Zink. After Rowland went to second base on a balk by Tiger pitcher Jon Dupski, Konstanty singled to left field, driving in Zink.
Trailing by 4-1 in the third inning, the Tigers rallied to tie the score. Natoli led off the inning with a solo home run to left field. With two outs, Matt Collins belted a solo homer to left, cutting the deficit to 4-3. Singles by Yarsinsky and junior catcher Jason Stifler gave the Tigers a pair of base runners before a walk to freshman Austin Harclerode loaded the bases. When sophomore rightfielder Steve Rice drew a bases-loaded walk, the game was tied at 4-4.
The Tigers grabbed a 7-4 lead by scoring three unearned runs in the bottom of the fourth. Natoli led off with a single to rightfield and went all the way around to third base on an error by Konstanty in rightfield. He scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by junior second baseman Gary Helmick. Conley kept the inning alive with a single to rightfield. After reaching second base on a wild pitch, he scored when Matt Collins grounded to shortstop Sean Donovan, who made a two-base throwing error. After Collins went to third base on a wild pitch, he scored when Yarsinsky grounded out to shortstop.
Junior righthander Duane Herr, the Colonial Athletic Association’s Co-Pitcher of the Week last week, came out of the bullpen and held Albany to no earned runs on five hits in five innings of work. The Great Danes managed to score an unearned run in the sixth inning when Pitcheralle singled in a run.
However, the Tigers added an important insurance run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Yarsinsky led off the inning with a walk and scored on a double by Harclerode, putting Towson ahead, 8-5.
That run became even more important when Albany scored two unearned runs in the ninth inning. With two outs and nobody on base, Donovan kept the game alive by reaching base on an error. When Rowland followed with a two-run homer, the Great Danes’ deficit was just 8-7. After junior righthander Nate Curd walked Konstanty, he ended the game by getting sophomore Pete Eichner to ground out.
Natoli led the Tigers’ 12-hit attack in the opener by going 3-for-5 with two runs scored. In the three-game series against Albany, Natoli batted .750 with five runs scored and two stolen bases.
Herr picked up his second win of the season, upping his record to 2-1 on the year.
