NORTHBOROUGH, Massachusetts - The American International College baseball team returned to New England firing on all cylinders, posting a 16-2 victory over Assumption College on Monday, March 19.

FAST FACTS:
Final score: AIC 16, Assumption 2
Records: AIC improves to 8-6 overall; Assumption falls to 5-11.
Location: New England Baseball Complex

STATS LEADERS:
AIC:
Andrew Ciacciarelli (4-for-5, five RBI, one double)
Matt Krause (4-for-7, three RBI, one triple)
Matt Costanza (2-for-5, one RBI, two doubles)
Angel Mendez (3-for-5, two RBI, one double)

Assumption:
Dillon Zona (1-for-2, two RBI)
Andrew Jaehnig (2-for-2)

Winning pitcher: Nick Kennedy, 1-0 (7.0 innings pitched, two earned runs, seven hits, five strikeouts, three walks)
Losing pitcher: Cole Chudoba, 1-2 (1.2 innings pitched, six earned runs, six hits, three walks)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• AIC made a statement early in its first game following itsSpring Break trip to Florida, posting two runs in the top of the first. Freshman catcher Anthony Clark had an RBI on a groundout to score sophomore right fielder Matt Krause; redshirt sophomore first baseman Andrew Ciacciarelli then notched an RBI single to bring home sophomore third baseman Matt Costanza.
• In the second inning, the Yellow Jackets picked up where they left off, recording four runs to take a 6-0 lead. Junior center fielder Josh Aviles led off with a walk, and was brought home with a one-out RBI double from Costanza. Krause then brought in Costanza, and a ground-rule double by junior left fielder Reed Phillips made the score 5-0. Phillips later scored on an RBI single from Ciacciarelli, giving AIC a 6-0 edgethrough two.
• Krause hit a triple in the third inning, bringing in Costanza to give AIC a 7-0 advantage.
• The Yellow Jackets' best inning came in the fifth frame, with a six-run explosion to extend the AIC lead to 13 runs. Junior shortstop Brendan Carter got things started with an RBI double, and he was later brought home on an RBI single from Krause. Clark walked to load up the bases, and Ciacciarelli brought in all three runners with a bases-clearing double. Junior designated hitter Matthew Elliott next got on base with a walk, and freshman second baseman Angel Mendez followed with a ground-rule double that scored Ciacciarelli.
• AIC added three more runs with two outs in the sixth inning; after Clark reached on an error, both Phillips and Krause scored. Mendez later had his second RBI single of the afternoon to bring in Clark.
• Redshirt junior starting pitcher Nick Kennedy pitched five shutout innings before allowing just two runs in the bottom of the sixth. He allowed no runs in the next frameto round out his seven-inning day.
• Junior right-handed pitcher Andrew Gould and freshman righty Zac Brittain each pitched one scoreless inning of relief.

BUZZWORTHY:

• With an 8-6 record, AIC is having its best start through 14 games since the 2013 season, when the Yellow Jackets also started the year 8-6.
• With Krause's triple in the third inning, AIC recorded its ninth triple this season. AIC had just 10 total triples during the 2017 season.
• With 16 runs, AIC scored the most runs it has had in a single game since a season-opening victory against Mercy College on March 5, 2017.
• This is the first time under head coach Nick Callini's tenure that AIC has won a game by a 14-run margin, and is AIC's largest margin of victory since an 18-3 win over Assumption in 2001.
• Kennedy's seven-inning appearance is his longest game since throwing seven innings against Mercy College on March 20, 2016.
• Redshirt senior pitcher Jason Coscio pinch hit in the ninth inning, marking the first time in his career that he has recorded an at-bat.
• After his four-hit day, Ciacciarelli now leads his team in RBI (14) and average (.415).

COACH'S CORNER:

• "I was worried about the quick turnaround," Callini said, referring to AIC returning to New England after playing in Florida on Saturday, March 17. "We got back late, really Sunday morning, and then to turn around and play today, I was a little concerned on how we'd rebound, if we'd come out sluggish. But certainly that wasn't the case. Our guys were ready to go, excited to get back on the field, and really continued the solid play we saw at the end of the Spring Break week, and carried it right into this game."

PLAYERS' CORNER:

• "It's nice to get out there and just be able to throw and actually go deep into a game," Kennedy said. "It was pretty big confidence-wise, but it was a big team win. It was pretty easy with the guys scoring that many runs, you've just got to go out and throw some strikes, complement those big innings we had."
• "I think it really pumps everybody up," Ciacciarelli said. "We went down to Florida and got hot pretty quick, but then took some bad losses down there. We came back up here and to get a win right away, against a good team like Assumption, I think that's really going to boost our confidence going into conference play next week."

NEXT UP:

• AIC will host the Greyhounds on Thursday, March 22 at Bedard Field. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

STAY CONNECTED:

• For more updates about the AIC baseball team, follow @AIC_baseball on Instagram. For updates on all AIC Yellow Jackets teams, follow @AICAthletics on Twitter and Instagram, and like AIC Yellow Jackets on Facebook.