SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts The American International College baseball team split a Northeast-10 Conference Southwest Division doubleheader with Le Moyne College on Thursday, April 22, dropping the first game 5-2 before winning the second 13-2.
FAST FACTS:
FINAL SCORES: Le Moyne 5, AIC 2 (F/7); AIC 13, Le Moyne 2
RECORDS: Le Moyne is now 8-3 overall and in the NE10; AIC is now 8-11 overall with a 7-4 NE10 mark.
PITCHING DECISIONS:
Game 1:
Win: Sam DiGeorge (2-1)
Loss:
Joe Pepe (2-2)
Save: Jacob Marshall (1)
Game 2:
Win:
Joe Kemlage (1-3)
Loss: Max Parker (0-1)
KEY STATS:
Game 1:
Le Moyne:
Ty Syta: 3-for-4, one RBI
Andrew Roden: 2-for-4, one run
Justin Tuey: 1-for-3, one walk, one double, two runs, one RBI
Sam DiGeorge: 6.1 IP, two hits, two runs [0 ER], five walks, one strikeout
Jacob Marshall: 0.2 IP, no hits, one strikeout
AIC:
Cam Defeo: 0-for-2, one walk, one run, one RBI
Joe Pepe: 5.0 IP, seven hits, five runs [1 ER], four walks, seven strikeouts
Game 2:
Le Moyne:
Andrew Roden: 2-for-3, one walk, one run
Zach Brush: 1for-3, one walk, two RBI
Max Parker: 3.1 IP, three hits, five runs, four walks, four strikeouts
Kennen Smith: 0.1 IP, one hit, five runs, three walks, one strikeout
AIC:
Matt Krause: 4-for-6, hit for the cycle, two runs, two RBI
Matt Costanza: 2-for-4, one walk, two runs, one RBI
Cam Defeo: 1-for-4, one walk, one grand slam, two runs, four RBI
Joe Kemlage: 5.0 IP, two hits, no runs, two walks, eight strikeouts
Brandon Gaul: 2-for-4, one double, one walk, two runs, one RBI; 1.0 IP, one hit, no runs, one strikeout
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Game 1:
- The Dolphins managed a single in each of the first two innings, but could not muster any more offense until the third, when a walk by Justin Tuey was followed by back-to-back base hits for the visitors, as Ty Syta's single drove in the game's first run.
- AIC immediately bounced back as Cam Defeo walked and Dalton Quinn singled; the duo advanced on a passed ball, and Defeo came home on a groundout by Angel Mendez, tying the game.
- The teams repeated the run-scoring dance in the fourth, as Andrew Roden singled to lead off for Le Moyne and advanced on a catcher's interference and a hit batter; Tuey hit a sacrifice fly to drive him in. AIC countered with Matt Costanza reaching on an error and advancing to second as Brandon Gaul hit a bunt single to third. Defeo hit a fly ball to right that was dropped and allowed Costanza to score from second.
- The Dolphins pounded out another run in the third with a leadoff single by Syta and then an error and a walk. That put Roden at the dish with the bases loaded and no one out, but he bounced into a 3-2-3 double play as Costanza went home with the ground ball and Anthony Clark returned it to him to force both Syta and Roden. However, Zach Brush and Nick Spinella both walked, with Spinella's pass forcing a run in.
- Tuey doubled to lead off the fifth, and scored on a sacrifice bunt that went awry for the defense as the throw to first went into the outfield. That run was subsequently pushed home by Wilson via a single, making it 5-2.
- AIC brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh, but the Dolphins shut the door to earn the 5-2 win.
Game 2:
- Both teams put runners on second in the opening frame with two outs, but neither team could convert those runners into runs.
- In the third, AIC struck first as Michael Cruz pushed a bunt down the first-base side for a hit and then was sacrificed over by Mendez; two batters later, Alejandro Mosquera doubled to left-center and drove him home.
- In the fourth, AIC broke the game open, as Gaul doubled down the right-field line with one out; Defeo, Quinn, Cruz, and Mendez all walked before Matt Krause singled to push Quinn home. Mosquera then drove in Cruz with a groundout to give AIC a 5-0 edge.
- Costanza led off the next frame with a single, and came home two batters later on a throw from third that missed the first-base bag and went into the outfield.
- Krause added to his day with a home run just inside the right-field foul pole in the next inning, and the Dolphins free-pass woes continued as Mosquera walked, Clark was hit by a pitch, Costanza walked, and Gaul walked, causing a pitching change as Mosquera was forced home.
- Defeo faced the new Dolphins hurler and gave him a rude welcome in the form of a grand slam home run, which he hammered over the center-field fence 400 feet away from home plate.
- The Dolphins finally broke the shutout in the seventh with three walks and then a two-run single by Brush.
- In the home half, Krause led off with a triple, and was driven home with a single by Costanza to finish off the scoring in the 13-2 win.
A POUND OF SALAMI:
- Defeo's four-run blast was the second in a week for AIC baseball.
- Quinn hit a bases-loaded shot against Southern Connecticut State in the second game of AIC's four-game set in the Nutmeg State on Saturday, April 17.
- That same day, Victoria Andrade of the softball team also hit a bags-packed round-tripper at home against the Owls.
KRAUSE HITS FOR THE CYCLE:
- One of the more difficult feats to accomplish in baseball, Krause had a single, double, triple, and home run in the nightcap.
- He had a single in the fourth, hit the sixth-inning home run, tripled to lead off the seventh, and doubled with two outs in the eighth to complete the day.
NEXT UP:
- The team will take a break before facing Bentley University on Wednesday, April 28 at 3:30 p.m. for a one-game interdivisional duel.
