SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - A complete-game effort from redshirt junior pitcher Nick Kennedy and heads-up baserunning bolstered the American International College baseball team in a tight 6-4 victory over the College of Saint Rose on Wednesday, March 28, to open Northeast-10 Conference divisional play.

FAST FACTS:
Final score: AIC 6, Saint Rose 4
Winning pitcher: Nick Kennedy, AIC (2-0). Losing pitcher: Brandon Budlong (2-1).
Records: AIC improves to 10-10 and 2-3 in the NE10; Saint Rose falls to 9-7 and 2-1 in conference play.
Location: Bedard Field

STATS LEADERS:
AIC:
Matt Costanza (3-for-5, three runs scored, one RBI)
Matt Krause (3-for-5, one stolen base)
Andrew Ciacciarelli (2-for-4, two RBI)
Nick Kennedy (9.0 innings pitched, one earned run, seven hits, four strikeouts)

Saint Rose:
Joe Foran (2-for-4)
Andrew Pedone (1-for-4, one RBI)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• While Kennedy began the game with two clean innings, AIC added three runs in that span to support him. In the first inning, sophomore third baseman Matt Costanza led off with a single, and sophomore right fielder Matt Krause put runners on the corners with a single of his own. Redshirt sophomore first baseman Andrew Ciacciarelli then had a two-out RBI single to score Costanza and give AIC a 1-0 lead.
• The Yellow Jackets capitalized on great baserunning to add two more runs in the next frame, when junior shortstop Brendan Carter had a two-out single and next stole second base. Costanza then notched an RBI single; he then also stole second to make his way into scoring position, and Krause's RBI single to center field pushed the Yellow Jackets ahead 3-0.
• Saint Rose added a run in the top of the fourth to break the shutout, and added another in the fifth to come within 3-2.
• Junior center fielder Josh Aviles reached base in the bottom of the sixth inning, then stole second and advanced to third on a miscue by the catcher. He then capitalized on a throwing error from the left fielder to score on a flyout and give the Yellow Jackets a 4-2 lead.
• The Golden Knights wouldn't surrender, however, and added two runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game at 4-4.
• Krause led off the bottom of the seventh with a single through the right side, and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from redshirt junior left fielder Reed Phillips. Ciacciarelli then had an RBI single to push Krause across home plate and give AIC the lead back at 5-4.
• Phillips had an RBI single in the eighth, scoring Costanza to give AIC an insurance run and a 6-4 lead.
• Kennedy came back out for the top of the ninth, capping a 1-2-3 inning with a swinging strikeout to preserve the AIC victory.

BUZZWORTHY:

• Wednesday's game marked Kennedy's longest appearance in his collegiate career. He now has a 2.42 ERA in 22.1 innings pitched.
• Junior designated hitter Matthew Elliott hit a triple in the third inning, marking the Yellow Jackets' 10^th triple of the season - already matching AIC's total from a year ago.
• This is the fastest that the Yellow Jackets have reached double-digit wins since 2013, when AIC reached its 10^th win in its 18^th game of the season.

COACH'S CORNER:

• "That's part of what you have to embrace is those tight games, and those are the most fun ones to coach and play in," said AIC baseball coach Nick Callini. "That's what I said to the guys when I think it was 4-4, that this is what it's all about - let's enjoy it, have fun, and go make a play to win it."
• "He really hadn't gotten hit around, and I liked the way he threw the ball in that eighth inning, Callini said about the decision to keep Kennedy in the game for the ninth inning. "I just felt really comfortable sending him back out there and playing the inning out depending what happened. He did a really great job of making it easy on me and not making me have to think too much."

PLAYERS' CORNER:

• "I was a little worried about my arm for a bit, I think that's the most pitches I've thrown in about two or three years," Kennedy said. "But 109 wasn't too bad, I just had to get out there and finish the game. Just keeping it shut down, the guys were hitting well, they were getting the ball in play. I was just to get out there, same thing as last time, and just complement the innings, and try to work quick so we could keep that momentum we had from the first couple innings."
• "I was just seeing the ball well, swinging at the pitches I had to swing at," Krause said. "I'm thankful I was able to come through todayIt's really important because that shows we can battle with any team, and when we need to scrape runs across, we're more than capable of doing that. And we have the pitching to keep us in it, which is really exciting."
• "Today I was just seeing the ball well, and I was able to put the ball in play," Costanza said. "Ultimately, I was getting past the fielders today, and that's all I wanted to do, was get on base and score runswe're just staying together. We just came off three tough losses, and we were still able to come together and get the win."

NEXT UP:

• AIC hosts Bloomfield College to close out its homestand on Thursday, March 29.
• First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Bedard Field.

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.