SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The American International College baseball team swept Saint Michael's College in Northeast-10 Conference action, winning by counts of 8-5 and 14-3 at Bedard Field on April 9.
AIC improves to 8-17 with the victories.
Playing as the road team on home field once more, the Jackets took advantage of the chance to bat first and scored in the opening frame, with a single and steal by senior first baseman Chris Starcun, followed by an infield single for rookie left fielder Matt Krause. That set the table for freshman designated hitter Mike Wroth, who hit a double to right center to plate his two teammates.
In the third, the duo of Starcun and Krause added to the tally, with Starcun doubling to left center and Krause driving him in with a single up the middle. However, Saint Michael's answered back, scoring an unearned run in the home half with an error, steal, and single.
Junior catcher Eugene Quirk led off the following frame with a single and the next two batters bunted to move him to third. That set the table for sophomore center fielder Josh Aviles, who smacked a pitch over the head of the Purple Knights' right fielder and was able to round the bases for the team's third inside-the-park home run of the campaign.
Two innings later, the Jackets scored again; after freshman right fielder Dan Frawley was hit by a pitch, Quirk singled. Another sacrifice bunt moved the two into scoring position, and freshman second baseman Brendan Carter executed a squeeze play to perfection, bunting for a hit and bringing Frawley home for a 6-1 lead.
The Purple Knights did not quit, and scored twice in the bottom of the seventh, with a single, double, and error bringing in a pair of runs. Redshirt sophomore shortstop Trent Dillon replied in the top of the eighth with a sacrifice fly to score Frawley after a single, hit batsman, and balk, but the Purple Knights closed the gap again in their half with a pair of doubles and a single to cut the edge to 7-5.
AIC would have the last run, however, as Starcun added to his total with a triple to right; Krause drove him in again for an 8-5 lead that would hold as the final.
Freshman Matt Costanza twirled seven innings of five-hit ball, allowing three runs, with one earned, and two walks against five strikeouts, moving to 3-3 on the season.
In the second game, AIC nearly opened the scoring in the first again as the Purple Knights walked two and hit a batter, but the Jackets could not get the run in. They did, however, in the second, as again the Purple Knights loaded the bases with a trio of free passes and Aviles hit into an RBI groundout.
In the third, the offense exploded. Krause led off with a double, and Wroth was hit by a pitch. A bunt single by freshman right fielder Owen Wosleger loaded the bases for freshman second baseman Travis Seymour, who hit a sacrifice fly to plate Krause. Two batters later, Carter singled to right, scoring Wroth for a 3-0 lead.
That lead doubled with the next batter, as Aviles hit his second inside-the-park home run of the day, ripping a ball to right that soared past the defender and allowed him to hustle around all 360 feet of the basepaths. K.J. White then hit an infield single, advancing to third when the Saint Michael's third baseman rushed a throw and launched it into right field; the error became irrelevant when Starcun, not content with having to actually run the bases, got to jog around after hitting a fastball over the right field fence for an 8-0 lead.
The Jackets added to the lead in the fourth as Wroth doubled, advanced on a fly to center, and scored on a wild pitch, and broke double digits with a big fifth inning as a Starcun single was followed by three consecutive errors by the shortstop before freshman catcher Nick Lavin doubled to right-center to bring the edge to 13-0.
One inning later, Starcun capped AIC's scoring with a huge home run to left field, his third of the year.
A single and a double in the seventh would break the shutout as the Purple Knights got onto the scoreboard, and they added two in the ninth with a single, triple, and single, but never had a chance to come back in a 14-3 final.
Sophomore J.D. Lehouiller was sharp in his first start of the season, tossing six innings and allowing one run on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts; Wroth relieved him and threw two scoreless innings of one-hit ball, walking one and fanning two. Freshman Brendan LaVallee finished the game, throwing one inning and allowing two runs on three hits.
AIC returns to action at The College of Saint Rose on April 11 for one game at 4:30 p.m. in Albany, New York.
