Struthers’ Slam Helps Keene State Knock Off Springfield, 14-10

Recap, photo courtesy of Keene State

KEENE, N.H. – Mac Struthers' grand slam highlighted an eight-run first inning as the Keene State College baseball team's bats came to life in a 14-10 non-conference victory over Springfield College on Thursday afternoon at Owl Athletic Complex.

Records

• Keene State:  11-9
• Springfield:  17-7-2

How It Happened

Seven different Owls recorded a hit in the 14-run offensive attack.  Struthers wound up finishing the day 2-for-4 with four runs batted in, two runs scored and a walk.  Abe Grainger went 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs and a walk.  Nate Rossi also drove in two runs and walked, while Devin Springfield reached four times on two hits and two walks.  John Tarascio singled, walked and scored three runs.  Chad Shade and Logan Barrett each had three hits and two runs batted in for Springfield.

The Pride struck for a run in the first, but Keene State had a big answer in the bottom half of that inning against Springfield starter Nick Naples (2-2).  The Owls loaded the bases with nobody out as Springfield doubled, Rossi walked and Connor Longley singled.  An error on a bouncer to third and a hit by pitch gave KSC a 2-1 lead.  The rally continued with Grainger lining a single to left and David Sevigny working a bases-loaded walk for a 4-1 advantage.  Struthers followed with the biggest swing of the inning, a grand slam to left that put Keene State up 8-1 and knocked Naples out of the game without recording an out.  The Owls could not plate any more in the inning, but Springfield wound up doubling twice in the frame and KSC sent 12 people to the plate overall.

The Pride chipped away at the deficit from there, getting a two-run homer from Alex Denoyelle in the very next inning that made it 8-3.  They drew even closer in the third when Shade singled, stole second and was driven home on Logan Barrett's double.

Leading 8-4, Keene State was back at it in the fourth to extend their lead.  The Owls had the bases full with one out on a walk, hit by pitch and a single from Struthers.  Tom Meucci drew a walk to force in a run and, after Springfield flied to left, Rossi lined a two-out, two-run single that put KSC up 11-4.

Springfield responded with a three-spot of their own in the next half inning as Shade homered and Kyle Allen scored two with a two-out single that chopped the Owls' lead to 11-7.  Grainger remained hot, though, as his single to right center plated Walsh for a 12-7 advantage after five.  The Pride continued to hang around, however, as a two-out rally in the sixth resulted in an RBI single from Barrett and a run-scoring wild pitch that made it a three-run game.  Springfield kept KSC off the board in the bottom half of the inning and loaded the bases with one down in the seventh on three singles.  But KSC reliever Tyler Fitzgerald got David Wells to bounce into a fielder's choice and struck out Nick Leduc to end the threat and keep the Owls out in front 12-10.

Keene State regained some breathing room by plating two in the bottom of that same inning.  Longley walked to start the frame and, with one out, Tarascio was hit by a pitch and Grainger reached on an infield hit to load the bases.  After Sevigny popped out, Struthers rolled a grounder to short that appeared to end the inning, but the throw was airmailed and two runs scored, giving KSC a 14-10 lead.

Fitzgerald calmed things down with a clean eighth that included two strikeouts and Sevigny came into pitch in the ninth and closed things out with a 1-2-3 frame.  KSC starter Steven Zadravec (1-1) earned the win, going five innings with six strikeouts.  Bobby Baril, Fitzgerald and Sevigny combined for four innings out of the bullpen.

Around the Horn

• Keene State matched a season-high in runs, having scored 14 in wins over FDU-Florham and Illinois Tech.  It was also the fifth time they have scored in double-figures and marked the most runs Springfield had allowed in a game this year.
• The appearance for Christian Bourgea in this game marked his first since March 4 at William Paterson and was the first time in his career he made an appearance in a reserve role.
• Keene State has won three straight against Springfield.

Up Next

• Keene State gets back into Little East play as they will host Rhode Island College for a Saturday, April 14 doubleheader beginning at 12:00 pm.

Spartans Take Game Two to Earn Split at NEC

Photo, recap courtesy of Castleton University

HENNIKER, N.H. – The Castleton baseball team opened its North Atlantic Conference slate with a doubleheader split at New England College on Tuesday afternoon. In a rematch of last year's NAC championship, the Spartans dropped the opening contest, 21-5, before bouncing back with a 6-0 shutout victory in the night cap.

With the split, Castleton moved to 7-8 overall and 1-1 in NAC action. New England College, which had its 13-game winning streak snapped, moved to 14-4 on the season and 3-1 in conference play.

New England College 21, Castleton 5

Castleton's pitching staff struggled with its command in the opener, as NEC needed just 10 hits to come away with 21 runs. The Spartans allowed 13 walks and five hit by pitches over six innings on the mound.

The setback was the largest margin of a loss against a NAC foe on record. Prior to game one, the Spartans had lost six NAC contests over the past two years by a combined total of 10 runs.

Castleton took an early 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Jonathan Lindau in the top of the first, but the lead did not last. NEC came up with big hits in key situations and scored in each of the final five innings to pull away. 

With NEC holding a 2-1 lead, the Pilgrims sent 14 batters to the plate in an 11-run third inning, all scoring with two outs. Four walks and a hit by pitch continued to put runners on base in the frame, and three-run home runs by Xavier Nunez and Manuel Alejandro put the home team up, 13-1.

Lindau gave Castleton a spark with a three-run home run of his own in the top of the fifth to cut the deficit to 14-5. NEC, however, responded with a single run in the fifth and six more runs in the sixth to win by a final score of 21-5.

Castleton was held to five hits in the game. Lindau drove in four of Castleton's five runs and finished 2-for-3 to lead the Spartans offensively. Deagan Poland went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored out of the leadoff spot.

Charles Stapleford suffered his first loss of the season, allowing 13 runs (10 earned) on six hits with seven walks and three strikeouts over 2.2 innings.

Christian Aybar led NEC offensively with two hits and five RBI. Nick Powers went five innings and allowed five runs (three earned) with two strikeouts to earn the win.

Castleton 6, New England College 0

Garrett Moran turned the tides in game two, tossing a complete-game shutout in his first career start to lead the Spartans to the doubleheader split. Castleton finished with just three hits in the contest, but Moran scattered eight hits with two walks and seven strikeouts over seven scoreless innings to earn his first career win.

After a scoreless opening three innings, Castleton got on the board in the fourth. Dillon Benham and Lindau led off the inning with a walk and hit by pitch before both runners advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. Mitchell Caron lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Benham and Matt Braman reached on a defensive miscue as Lindau scored to open a 2-0 lead.

Moran worked his way out of trouble in the fifth and sixth innings before Castleton tacked on four insurance runs in the top of the seventh. With the bases loaded, Benham reached on a fielding error at first base as two runners crossed the plate. Davis Mikell capped the scoring with a two-RBI single through the right side to extend the Spartans' lead to 6-0.

NEC threatened with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the seventh, but Moran notched back-to-back strikeouts to seal the shutout.

New England College Baseball Splits NAC Doubleheader with Castleton

Recap, photo courtesy of New England College

HENNIKER, N.H. – The New England College Baseball would extend their win streak to 13 games with a 21-5 victory in game one but would fall in game 2, 6-0 to split their doubleheader with Castleton.

The Pilgrims will now be 14-4 on the season with a 3-1 record in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) while Castleton with go to 7-8 overall with a 1-1 record in the NAC.

GAME ONE: NEC 21, CASTLETON 5
The Pilgrims bats backed a strong start from Nick Powers (Malden, Mass.). Castleton would take

Spartans' Early Deficit Too Much to Overcome at Clark

Recap, photo courtesy of Castleton

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Castleton baseball team fell behind early and was never able to recover, as Clark used a big fourth inning to fuel a 13-7 victory over the Spartans on Monday evening in non-conference action at Granger Field.

With the loss, Castleton falls below .500 to 6-7 overall. Clark improves to 11-7 on the season with the win.

Davis Mikell and Jonathan Lindau combined for four hits, four RBI, and four runs scored to lead the Spartans offensively. Castleton finished with eight hits in the loss.

For the third consecutive game, Castleton struck in the top of the first to take an early lead. After a pair of groundouts opened the frame, Lindau was hit by a pitch and Mikell extended the inning with a walk. With two on and two outs, Mitchell Caron smacked an RBI single up the middle to give the Spartans the upper hand, 1-0.

After Clark tied the game on an RBI single by Zach Kelley in the home half of the first, the Cougars opened a 3-1 lead on a two-run home run by Ryan Ruhlin in the bottom of the second. Mikell answered right back for the Spartans, smashing a two-run homer of his own in the top of the third to tie things back up at 3-3.

The level game was brief, however, as the Cougars exploded for seven runs on seven singles and two walks in the bottom of the fourth to blow the game open. After a groundout started the inning, four straight singles and two walks gave Clark a 6-3 lead. Kelley drove in two more with an RBI single, before back-to-back RBI base hits by Nick Jordan and Andrew Thibault extended the Clark advantage to 10-3.

Castleton loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth, but was only able to get two runs back. Alex Borsari scored one on a fielder's choice and Pat Mumford lofted an RBI single to right field to cut into the deficit. The Spartans were poised for more with runners at the corners and the top of the order coming to bat, but an inning-ending double play ended the threat with Clark still in command, 10-5.

Andy Kenosh fired three scoreless innings in relief, but Clark added three insurance runs on five hits in the bottom of the eighth. Lindau and Mikell notched back-to-back RBI doubles in the ninth, but it wasn't enough as the Cougars claimed the 13-7 victory.  

Cameron Goulet suffered the loss on the mound, allowing 10 runs on 12 hits with a strikeout and two walks over four innings. Kenosh was strong with three scoreless innings in relief, while Aaron Smith was tagged for three runs in one inning.

Kelley and Thibault each went 4-for-5 for Clark as the home team finished with 19 hits. Conor Walsh earned the win on the mound, allowing three runs on three hits with two walks

Middlebury Opens NESCAC Action With Victory Over Williams

Catcher Phil Bernstein went 2-4 with three RBI and three runs scored in Friday's victory.

Middlebury erupted for a season-high 20 runs in its NESCAC West opener Friday against Williams in California, cruising to a 20-1 victory. The Panthers (5-8, 1-0) scored in seven different innings and collected a season-best 19 hits. The teams conclude their three-game series Saturday out west, playing a doubleheader with the first game starting at 3:00 p.m. Eastern time.

The Panthers got off to a fast start, scoring six times in the bottom of the first inning. Kevin Woodring drove in the game's initial run with an RBI single to left field to score Brooks Carroll, who later touched home plate on a fielder's choice for a 2-0 edge. Phil Bernstein doubled the lead with a two-run double to left, while Grant Elgarten drove in a pair with a two-base hit to the gap in left field, extending the advantage to 6-0.

The Ephs (1-9, 0-1) got one run back in the top of the second, as Kellen Hathaway raced home from third on an infield error to make it a 6-1 game.

Middlebury extended the lead to 8-1 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. Andrew Hennings doubled down the left-field line, plating Sam Graf who later scored on an error.

In the fifth inning, the Panther offense added three more tallies to extend the lead (12-1), as Hayden Smith, Justin Han and Woodring reeled off consecutive RBI singles.

Middlebury continued to score in bunches during its next turn at the plate, with a four-run sixth. Carroll drove in Graf with a base hit to left field and Bernstein scored on a fielder's choice for a 14-1 cushion. Han and Andrew Corcoran accounted for the final two runs of the inning, with RBI singles.

The Panthers tacked on two more runs in the seventh and another pair in the eighth, making the final 20-1.

Carroll led the Panthers at the plate, going 3-6 with two RBI and a run scored, while Bernstein was 2-4 with three RBI and three runs scored. Woodring, Graf and Henry Strmecki added to the offense with two hits each, while Graf also scored three times.

Panther starting pitcher Colby Morris improved to 2-2 on the season, yielding only one run on four hits in seven innings. Morris has thrown at least six innings in each start this spring. Andrew Martinson and Evan Stewart each threw a scoreless inning of relief.

For Williams, Eric Pappas went 2-4 at the plate. On the mound, starter Charlie Carpenter (1-2) took the loss, allowing eight runs (three earned) in three innings of work.

Middlebury's 20 runs were most scored in a game since a 20-8 victory against Hamilton in the 2010 season.

Big Green Take Mid-Week Matchup Versus Siena, 5-3

HANOVER, N.H. — The Dartmouth baseball team wrapped up its non-conference portion of the 2016 schedule by defeating visiting Siena on Wednesday afternoon at Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park, 5-3. Senior Thomas Roulis was the only player to collect two hits in the game, plus drove in a run with a double while junior Jackson Bubala closed out the game for Dartmouth (15-23) with two scoreless innings for his first career save.

Siena (13-26) matched the Big Green’s seven hits, getting RBIs from Dan Swain, Jordan Bishop and Fred Smart, but the Saints could not overcome a three-run Dartmouth third inning.

The Saints took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first after sophomore starter Jack Fossand quickly retired

Southern Vermont College Baseball Takes No. 3 Seed in NECC Championship Tournament

BENNINGTON, Vt. — For the first time since 2011, the Southern Vermont College baseball team will be playing in postseason action as the Mountaineers secured the third season in this weekend's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) championship tournament.

The Mountaineers clinched their playoff berth with a league record of 10-8 (18-18 overall). That Conference win mark tied the team's NECC victories record (2011) while the overall mark currently ties the program's all-time wins record.

"I am extremely proud of this group," commented SVC fourth-year head coach Dave Gage who will

Colby-Sawyer Baseball Splits Doubleheader with Lyndon

Recap, photo courtesy of Colby-Sawyer College

NEW LONDON, N.H. – The Colby-Sawyer College baseball team split a pair of North Atlantic Conference (NAC) games with Lyndon State College on Wednesday afternoon. Lyndon won game one 6-4, while Colby-Sawyer took game two 8-2.

The Hornets are coached by 2014 Colby-Sawyer Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Tom White '09. He is assisted by former shortstop standout Greg Mehuron '12.

Colby-Sawyer goes to 13-19 overall and 8-12 in the NAC. The Chargers will travel to UMaine-Farmington for a pair of doubleheaders against the Beavers over the weekend. Lyndon goes to 8-24 overall and 5-15 in conference action. The Hornets will host Norwich tomorrow for a 3:30 p.m. non-conference tilt.

Game One – Lyndon 6, Colby-Sawyer 4

Colby-Sawyer started the scoring in the bottom of the first when sophomore Doug Avellino

Southern Vermont College: Newbury Clips Baseball 11-9 to Finish NECC Regular Season

Recap, photo courtesy of Southern Vermont College

NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) regular season baseball schedule concluded at the New England Baseball Complex Wednesday afternoon, Newbury College topping Southern Vermont College 11-9 in the league finale.

SVC led 4-2 before Newbury tacked up five runs in the top of the sixth to go ahead 8-4. The Mountaineers responded immediately with five of their own in the home half to regain the upper hand, but NC would cross the plate twice in the next frame and add an insurance tally in the eighth while preventing Southern Vermont from crossing the plate the rest of the way.

The Mountaineers drop to 18-18 heading into this weekend's league tournament, taking the No. 3 seed with a 10-8 record in Conference action. SVC will line up with No. 2 Elms College on Friday in the opening day of the double-elimination tournament, playing the Blazers at 3 p.m. at top-seeded Mitchell College.

Newbury finishes its 2016 season with a 5-13 mark in the NECC and a 15-21 overall record, finishing the year with a three-game winning streak.

Mountaineer senior RJ Pingitore (Perth, N.Y.) went 2-for-3 with a walk, three RBIs and a run scored

Colby-Sawyer Baseball Celebrates Senior Day with 5-4 Win over Daniel Webster

Recap, photo courtesy of Colby-Sawyer College

NEW LONDON, N.H. – The Colby-Sawyer College baseball team defeated Daniel Webster, 5-4 on senior day at Kelsey Field.

Colby-Sawyer improves to 12-18 and will resume North Atlantic Conference (NAC) action on Wednesday with a home doubleheader against Lyndon at 2 p.m. Daniel Webster drops to 9-22 and will host Rivier tomorrow at 3 p.m.

Prior to the game, seniors Mike Bowse (Merrimack, N.H.), Jeff Dunn (Bellingham, Mass.), Shawn

Middlebury Falls to #25 Amherst in NESCAC Series Opener

Garrett Werner went 2-4 with a double in Friday's contest. Recap, photo courtesy of Middlebury.

Middlebury dropped the opening game of a NESCAC West series to visiting Amherst by a 5-0 count Friday on Forbes Field. Middlebury (8-14, 5-5) returns to the diamond for a twinbill today, Saturday against the 25th-ranked Purple & White (18-7, 5-2) scheduled to start at 12:00 p.m.

In the first inning, Middlebury starter Colby Morris worked out of trouble as Amherst collected three singles, but the first-year Panther hurler induced a ground ball double play and struck out Conner Gunn to end the threat.

An inning later, the Purple & White loaded the bases on a single by Dave Cunningham, followed by

Colby-Sawyer Baseball Falls to Southern Vermont, 13-6

Recap, photo courtesy of Colby-Sawyer College

NEW LONDON, N.H. – The Colby-Sawyer College baseball team fell to Southern Vermont, 13-6 in a single nine inning non-conference game on Thursday afternoon.

Southern Vermont improves to 18-14 and will resume New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action on Saturday with a twin bill at Elms. Colby-Sawyer drops to 10-17 and will play a home-and-home with Daniel Webster over the weekend with a doubleheader in Nashua before a single game in New London on Sunday.

The Mountaineers began the game with three runs on RBI singles from RJ Pingitore (Perth, N.Y.) and

Middlebury Baseball Drops One-Run Decision at Plattsburgh State

Middlebury rallied for a pair of runs in the top of the ninth inning to erase a two-run deficit, but Plattsburgh State plated the winning run in the bottom half of the inning, walking off with a 10-9 victory on Wednesday. Middlebury (8-13) is home on Friday with a 4:00 p.m. NESCAC West game against Amherst at Forbes Field.

The game was scoreless through the first two innings before the Panthers pushed three runs across in the top half of the third. Max Araya opened the scoring with a single up the middle that scored Phil Bernstein, while Jason Lock doubled down the left-field line, bringing home Jake Turtel. The final run of the inning came on a sacrifice fly to center by Raj Palekar scoring Araya.

After the Cardinals (4-25) scored on a sacrifice bunt by Jon Craft in the fourth, Middlebury recorded

Big Green Tied for First After Twinbill Sweep at Cornell

Senior Adam Gauthier    

Courtesy: Mike Janes

ITHACA, N.Y. — Piecing together the pitching staff in a rare mid-week Ivy League doubleheader, Dartmouth was able to limit the Cornell lineup to just nine hits on the afternoon to sweep the host Big Red, 9-3 and 3-1. The Big Green (13-20, 7-5 Ivy) utilized seven pitchers in the two games to catch Yale at the top of the Rolfe Division standings with the two scheduled to square off in a four-game series this weekend in Hanover.

Cornell fell to 12-16 overall and 5-9 in the Ivy League, dropping the Big Red four games behind Princeton in the Gehrig Division with eight to play.

The two teams were tied at three apiece in the sixth inning of the opener when senior catcher Adam

Keene State Baseball Blasts Plymouth State, 11-4

Recap, photo courtesy of Keene State

KEENE, N.H.-- Joe Libby, Trevor Chapin, and Devin Springield each had three hits and starter Michael Crimi allowed one earned run in 6.1 innings as the Keene State College baseball team defeated Plymouth State University 11-4 on Tuesday night at Owl Athletic Complex.

Records

• Keene State: 12-14, 3-4 LEC
• Plymouth State: 14-14, 5-2 LEC

How It Happened

• Keene State scored five in the first and never looked back, scoring their second most runs of the season.  
• The Owls sent 11 men to the plate in the bottom of the first inning, scoring three times before the Panthers recorded an out.  Libby singled and moved to third on a double from Billy Hartmann.  Christian Bourgea walked to load the bases, and Chapin doubled in a pair of runs.
• Springfield smacked a triple to bring in two more, and Vinny Parilla had an RBI groundout to stake KSC to an early 5-0 lead.
• Plymouth State got on the board in the top of the third on an RBI single by Nate Frederick.  Pinch hitter Mike Bailey had an RBI groundout in the seventh to cut the lead to 5-2, but the Owls grabbed three more in the seventh as Springfield and Chapin had RBI singles and Connor Longley had a sacrifice fly.
• After Plymouth State scored twice more in the eighth with an RBI hit by Luke Mancini and a KSC error.  Robbie Hamilton had a pinch hit RBI single in the bottom of the inning, and a Plymouth State error allowed two more runs to come in.
• Crimi had his third outing of at least six innings, striking out five to pick up the win.  Eddie Dionne earned his first save of the year with 1.1 innings of relief.  Taylor Doyle (4-3) took the loss.

New England College Baseball Swept in Final Two Games of Thomas Series

Waterville, Maine – New England College baseball dropped a pair of North Atlantic Conference (NAC) games to Thomas College Sunday afternoon, falling in game one 6-1 and dropping game two 16-2.

With the losses the Pilgrims fall to 6-14 overall and 5-7 in NAC play, while the wins improve the Terriers to 14-12 overall and 8-6 in the NAC.

Game One

Thomas would use a four run fourth, highlighted by a double off the bat of Nick Beeson and a run scoring single by Hank Vinail.

NEC would get their lone run in the first inning as Vincent Backert would double to center scoring Lonnie Cohen who had singled.  Conor Crouse posted the other Pilgrim hit in game one.

Game Two

Thomas would pound out 22 hits and plate 16 runs over six innings topping the Pilgrims 16-2.

NEC posted one hit in game two, a double off the bat of Connor Crouse.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Pilgrims will host conference opponent Castleton State College in a double-header on Wednesday, April 20.

Keene State Earns LEC Split With Rhode Island College

KEENE, N.H.-- Junior designated hitter Trevor Chapin delivered a walk-off single with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Keene State College baseball team a 2-1 win over Rhode Island College in the first game of a Little East Conference doubleheader at Owl Athletic Complex.  The Anchormen won the second game, 5-3.

Records

• Keene State: 11-12, 2-4 LEC
• Rhode Island College: 10-15-2, 1-5 LEC

Up Next

• The Owls head to Western New England on Monday for a 3:30 p.m. start.
• Rhode Island College welcomes Springfield College on April 18 at 3:30 p.m.

How It Happened - Game One

• The game was a pitcher's duel, lasting just 2:40 despite going 11 innings.  KSC starter Cody Dube went eight innings, striking out a career high 11 and walking nine, while RIC starter Dylan Pingitore was nearly as efficient, notching seven strikouts with one walk in eight innings.
• The Anchormen opened the scoring when Edward Apice led off the second inning with a single

New England College Baseball Splits NAC Double-Header With Thomas College

WATERVILLE, Maine --- New England College baseball split a North Atlantic Conference (NAC) doubleheader with Thomas College Saturday afternoon, losing game one by a 5-0 score but coming back to win game two 3-2.

With the split, the Terriers are now 12-12 overall and 6-6 in the NAC. The Pilgrims are 6-12 overall and 5-5 in league play.

GAME ONE

The Terriers struck for four runs in the bottom of the first as the first six batters reached safely. Senior

Keene State Baseball Rallies For 12-8 Win Over Springfield

Photo is courtesy of Keene State

KEENE, N.H.-- The Keene State College baseball team turned an 8-0 deficit into a 12-8 win over Springfield College in non-conference baseball action on Thursday at Owl Athletic Complex.

Records

• Keene State: 10-12
• Springfield: 10-13-1

Up Next

• The Owls resume Little East Conference action with a home twinbill against Rhode Island College on Saturday at 12 noon.
• The Pride host Clark to begin a NEWMAC series on Friday afternoon at 3:30 pm. 

Tale of the Tape

• Every KSC batter reached base as the Owls recovered from an early hole.  Joe Libby had three