Box Score Game 1  Box Score Game 2

HOLYOKE, Mass. – The Southern Vermont College baseball team split in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action against the Elms College Blazers Tuesday night at MacKenzie Stadium. Elms won the continuation of Sunday’s game, 9-3 in seven innings, before falling 8-7 in the nine-inning contest. With the split Elms improves to 7-17 overall, 3-6 in league play, while Southern Vermont moves to 10-13 on the season, 4-5 in the NECC.

In the first game leading 1-0 in the top of the fourth, Elms plated four runs in the inning to take a 5-0 lead. Elms junior shortstop Brendan Cordeiro singled to right center and then advanced to second on a miscue by the Mountaineers’ pitcher. Freshman center fielder Stephen Fisher drew a free pass before senior third baseman Mike Andrews pounded out an infield single to load the bases. Nicolino Iavicoli singled in the first run before Fisher raced home on a passed ball. Junior right fielder Albert Betances then cracked a double to left field driving in two runs to make the score 5-0.

The Blazers to a 6-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth frame before Southern Vermont struck for two runs to make the score 6-2. Keith Diotte delivered a run scoring single in the inning and then advanced on the throw in from the outfield which allowed a second run to score.

Elms answered with a three-run fifth frame when junior catcher Carm Bonavita a two-out walk and then moved all the way to third on a single through the right side by sophomore second baseman Andrew Kravontka. Both runners then came full circle on a single through the left side by Cordeiro who then trotted home on a three-bagger to right field by Fisher, upping the advantage to 9-2.

The Mountaineers got a run back in the bottom of the sixth stanza on the strength of an RBI double by Diotte, but could get no closer as sophomore pitcher Andrew Bunger, who entered in relief following the hit, held Southern Vermont scoreless over the next one and two thirds to help Elms seal the victory.

Blazers’ left-handed starter Zach LeBarron struck out six batters en route to his second win of the season (2-3), while Southern Vermont starter Connor Murray suffered the loss and falls to 0-3 overall.

Betances finished with two RBI, Bonavita scored twice, and sophomore left fielder Donald Morse smacked two hits to pace the Blazers in victory. Blazer Cordeiro went 4-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored.

In game two trailing 8-5 in bottom of the seventh inning, Elms pulled to within one when Andrews drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second when Iavicoli reached on an error. A double-steal with one out gave the Blazers a pair of runners in scoring position for Morse who laced a single into left field, scoring both runners to make the score 8-7. Southern Vermont reliever Ben Naaktgeboren replaced Will Warner on the hill and was able to get the Mountaineers out of the jam.

Naaktgeboren pitched a complete inning before Dave Gage entered and tossed the final one and two thirds. Gage gave up just one hit and struck out one hitter to help the Mountaineers seal its narrow victory.

Warner pitched one and two thirds frames of relief and picked up the win to move to 1-1 on the season, while Elms junior southpaw reliever Nick Cordeiro, who entered in the sixth inning, suffered the loss and falls to 0-1 on the season.

The Blazers took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth, before tacking on three more runs on an RBI double by Andrews and a pair of run-scoring base hits by Betances and junior right fielder Robert Reyome to extend the lead to 5-1.

Southern Vermont answered with a five-run top of the sixth highlighted by a two run double by Joel DeFedele, a pair of sacrifice flies by Diotte and Gage, and an RBI base hit off the bat of Brett Pawlak  to give the Mountaineers a slim 6-5 edge.

Elms senior starter Mike Bieber was solid on the mound, striking out eight batters through five innings before running into trouble in the sixth.

Betances and Reyome finished with two hits each, while B. Cordeiro, Fisher, Andrews and Morse drew two walks each in the losing effort. Sophomore designated hitter Iavicoli was 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI in the nine-inning game to help the Blazers to a split.

Corey Armstrong and Danny Vardaro each went 3-for-5 at the plate for Southern Vermont, while Vardaro scored three runs and Armstrong scored two.

The Mountaineers are back in action today when it hosts Williams College for a neighborly non-conference game starting at 4:00 p.m.