FORT MYERS, Fla. – After waiting out severe weather delays, the Southern Vermont College baseball team fell to The College of Wooster, 11-0, and picked up a good hard-hitting 13-2 win against the University of Minnesota Morris Wednesday afternoon at Terry Park in Ft. Myers, Fla. in the Gene Cusic Classic.
The Mountaineers move to 3-4 on the season as Wooster improves to 5-4 and Minnesota Morris falls to 1-4.
Wooster 11, SVC 0
After the Mountaineers couldn't do much offensively in the top of the first, The College of Wooster jumped out to an early lead with a one-out walk that was quickly brought around on a two-bagger by junior second baseman Eddie Reese (Canfield, Ohio) for the 1-0 advantage. A deep fly to left was able to move Reese to third, but he would be stranded there with a fly out created by Mountaineer sophomore starting righty Owen Chizek (Gloversville, N.Y.).
Starting right hander Steve Hagen (Brecksville, Ohio) followed on the mound for the Fighting Scots by retiring the side in order with three grounders towards the middle.
Chizek responded with a three-up, three-down inning in the bottom of the second with two strikeouts, one swinging and one looking.
Hagen continued the duel by retiring the next three Mountaineers to head to the bottom of the third with Wooster still up 1-0. The Fighting Scots would add a few after a deep shot to center put sophomore catcher Ian Vernier (Louisville, Ohio) on second to start the inning. He would be moved over with a grounder to second and then score on another slow roller to short. Reese then gave Wooster the 4-0 lead when he took one the opposite way over the fence for a two-run dinger.
Southern Vermont worked two ducks onto the pond with only one out in the fourth, but Hagen was again able to work out of it to keep the Mountaineers off the board.
Wooster came back with three more in the bottom of the fourth manufactured by a lead-off walk and two ensuing doubles. A single by Vernier brought in the third as the Fighting Scots increased the lead to 7-0.
The Mountaineers picked up their first hit, ending Hagen's bid for the no-no, in the top of the fifth as sophomore left fielder Jarod Hayen (Esperance, N.Y.) roped one to the left-center gap after fouling off a drag bunt attempt.
Wooster tacked on another two in the bottom of the frame, the first coming off a hit batter and double by senior outfielder Johnathan Ray (Columbus, Ohio). Ray then scored on a base knock to left by junior first baseman Billy Farrow (Evanstown, Ill.) to put the Fighting Scots up 9-0. They added the 10th in the following inning with a walk and an error to put runners on first and second. A booming Reese double to the right field gap scored the lead runner, but the Mountaineers' relay from sophomore right fielder Roland Hernandez (Pico Rivera, Calif.) to freshman second baseman RJ Pingitore (Amsterdam, N.Y.) left the trail runner to be tagged out by senior catcher Corey D. Briggs (Wood River, R.I.).
The Fighting Scots continued to put numbers on the board in the seventh as another lead-off walk proved costly as pinch-hitting sophomore Frank Vance (Corapolis, Pa.) was moved around and crossed to make it 11-0. SVC saw its first two batters in the top of the 8th get hit by a pitch, however, neither were able to advance as junior right hander Jon Huisel (Gurnee, Ill.) was able to retire the next three, two via strikeouts.
Hagen took home the win (1-1) while Chizek (0-1) is credited with the loss.
Mountaineer sophomore center fielder Sal Sciara (Massapequa, N.Y.) recorded a team-high seven putouts in the game while senior first baseman Corey Armstrong (Bennington, Vt.) was 1-3 with a walk.
Reese finished 3-4 with four RBIs and a run scored, and Farrow and Varnier were each 2-3 with an RBI to go along with one and two runs scored, respectively. Fighting Scot pitching totaled 13 strikeouts on the day.
The Fighting Scots return to action Thursday when they face off against Nichols College at 10 a.m.
SVC 13, Minnesota Morris 2
Minnesota Morris went ahead first in the opening frame with three-straight singles to start the game. A fielder's choice to Mountaineer freshman third baseman Quinten Scott (Ashaway, R.I.) plated the second Cougar run in sophomore
shortstop Jake Schmitz (Monticello, Minn.).
Southern Vermont came right back to jump on top with a solid top of the second initiated by a lead-off poke to right by Armstrong, playing as the designated hitter. He subsequently ran the 270 feet to come around and score on a double by sophomore first baseman Cody LaBadia (Howes Caves, N.Y.); LaBadia moved to third on the throw to the plate and then
scored when sophomore shortstop Chris Nicastro (Cranford, N.J.) batted him in with a single through the left side. With Nicastro on third and Scott on second, Hayen smashed a triple to the right field fence and was awarded home when the errant throw to third went out of play.
The score stood at 5-2 until the top of the fourth when the Mountaineers loaded them up with one out and took advantage. A lead-off walk to D. Briggs and ensuing bunt single from Hayen were followed by a single from Pingitore to right center; with only one out and three-hitter Hernandez coming up, head coach Dave Gage threw on the stop sign. The hold-up would pay off as Hernandez took one to right, plating D. Briggs and Hayen. His fifth hit of the season, it was Hernandez's first single as a Mountaineer as the previous four had all been doubles.
Southern Vermont used the momentum on the defensive end as the Mountaineers got off the field quickly. Starting left hander Kurt Kowalczyk (Amsterdam, N.Y.) struck out a Cougar batter for the first out, and Nicastro then used his ups to snag a liner headed for the left field gap and turned it into two by gunning to first to get the runner who had taken off.
The Mountaineers' offense was not done, putting up two in the fifth and three in the sixth. Nicastro stayed hot as he had another hit and run scored in the fifth and a sacrifice fly in the sixth. Hayen added another RBI with a sac fly in the fifth, and Pingitore added to his day with another single and run scored in the sixth.
Kowalczyk continued to blank the Cougars after allowing just the lone earned run in the first, never letting more than one Minnesota Morris player get on base in the fourth through six innings. The three added SVC runs in the sixth allowed him to go out for the seventh with a chance to end it. He got his whole out outfield in on the action as three fly outs in the seventh wrapped it up for the Mountaineers who took away the 13-2 win in seven innings due to the 10-run rule.
The Southern Vermont southpaw (2-0) picks up the win while Cougar sophomore righty Kylan Hill (Aitkin, Minn.) is credited with the loss (0-2).
Hayen finished 3-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored while Nicastro and Scott both were 2-3 with two runs scored; Nicastro had two runs batted in as Scott drove in another. Hernandez went 2-4 with a walk, two RBIs and a run scored, and Pingitore finished 3-5 with two runs.
Schmitz and sophomore Eric Terres (Melrose, Minn.) were both 2-3 with a run scored, and Schmitz added an RBI.
The Mountaineers go back to work on Thursday with a single game against Knox College at 10 a.m. while the Cougars turn to a Thursday doubleheader against the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (10 a.m./1:30 p.m.) in Ft. Myers.