FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Southern Vermont College baseball team split a pair of nine-inning games in the Gene Cusic Classic Monday at the Player Development Complex, first defeating St. Joseph's College Long Island 6-5 with another dramatic finish before falling to the University of Dubuque 6-2 in the second game of the day.
The Mountaineers move to 5-4 on the season with the share. St. Joe's fell to 2-4 following its game with SVC, and Dubuque improved to 2-5 after knocking off Southern Vt.
Southern Vt. 6, St. Joseph's 5
Against the Eagles, SVC had a 6-3 lead going into the top of the eighth when St. Joe's put up one run to cut the deficit. SJC then added another in the ninth and nearly scored the tying run, but Southern Vt. junior captain Sal Sciara (Massapequa, N.Y.) gunned out the runner at home from center field for the last out of the win.
Mountaineer sophomore second baseman Richard Rios (Pico Rivera, Calif.) had a 2-4 showing at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base. Sophomore catcher Ryan Schuette (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) was 1-2 with a sacrifice fly and two runs batted in while junior right fielder Roland Hernandez (Pico Rivera, Calif.) was 1-3 with a walk, a stolen base, an RBI and a run scored.
Senior left-hander Kurt Kowalczyk (Amsterdam, N.Y.) picked up the fourth complete game of his career, going all nine innings while allowing just two earned runs on six hits and a walk. He struck out five Eagles on the day and notched his first decision of the year (1-0).
St. Joseph's was led offensively by junior shortstop Joe Liberatore (Blue Point, N.Y.) who went 2-3 with three runs scored, both hits being doubles out of the lead-off spot. Sophomore right fielder Joseph Lynn (Kings Park, N.Y.) was 1-3 at the plate with two RBIs, and sophomore catcher James Terry (East Meadow, N.Y.) had a 2-4 performance in the effort.
Eagle senior starter Dan Diblasi (Lindenhurt, N.Y.) took the loss from the hill (0-2) after giving up six runs (four earned) on four hits and three walks in 5.1 innings of work. He struck out four Mountaineers in his outing.
The Eagle bats got to Kowalczyk early for a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as Liberatore started things with an opposite-field double to right over Hernandez's head. After a wild pitch moved him up to third, a groundout allowed him to come in to score. Kowalczyk was then able to settle down and get out of the inning with a pop-out and his first strikeout of the day.
Southern Vt. had a hard time figuring out Diblasi in the first third of the game as he was able to retire nine of the first 10 Mountaineer batters he faced while being a part of six outs himself. Diblasi struck out three though the first two innings, two on called-third strikes in the second, and then induced two pop ups before Sciara tried to bunt his way on in the third, only for the starting lefty to hop off the hill, field it and make the throw over to first to retire the side.
St. Joe's added to its lead in the top of the third with help from a lead-off walk to senior left fielder Mike Feerick (West Babylon, N.Y.). Liberatore then appeared to groundout to second, but the home plate umpire made the proper catcher's interference ruling to put the batter on first. Lynn then came to the batter's box and roped a double to right-center field to bring Feerick around from second. Diblasi tried to help his cause with a fly-out to center, but a strong wind that was a nuisance all day kept the ball from going too deep; Sciara made the catch while running in and promptly fired home, keeping Liberatore at third. He would score on the next at-bat, however, when a grounder to second off the bat of junior first baseman Thomas Rubinstein (Patchogue, N.Y.) allowed him to cross the dish for the 3-0 lead.
From there, Kowalczyk started to find his rhythm including an eight-pitch top of the fourth that saw a pair of Eagle fly-outs to Hernandez followed by an unassisted grounder to junior first baseman Cody LaBadia (Howes Cave, N.Y.).
In the bottom of the frame, Rios got the Mountaineer momentum started with their first hit of the day to lead-off the inning on a hard-hit shot to right center. After stealing second, a soft grounder to short that was bobbled gave way for him to move on to third. LaBadia then grounded into a double play, but it still allowed Rios to come in and score the first SVC run and make it a 3-1 game.
Kowalczyk retired the St. Joe's side in order in the top of the fifth, helping himself by snagging a sharply-hit ball his way and making the toss over to first. He then wrapped up the box with the third out by way of the K. Southern Vt. continued to chip away at its deficit in the bottom of the inning as Hernandez led-off with a ball hit down the right field line. Trying to make the out, Lynn leapt for it, only to have the ball bounce off his glove and roll to the fence as Hernandez sped around to third. Schuette then registered his sacrifice fly, sending it deep enough to right field for Hernandez to jog in with the second Mountaineer run of the day.
The Eagles continued to struggle against Kowalczyk in the top of the sixth, going down in order once again. Diblasi led-off with a grounder past LaBadia's right, but Rios tracked backwards to his left and scooped it up before making the throw to first for the out. The senior southpaw then got Rubinstein to ground back to him, flipping over to first before soliciting a fly-out to right to end the inning.
Kowalczyk then got support from his offense as the Mountaineers took the lead with a four-run sixth. After Sciara worked a lead-off walk, Rios ripped a ball down the right field line for a double. Sciara then scored when LaBadia hit a grounder to Rubinstein who chose to go home, trying to prevent the run from crossing. His throw sailed high, allowing Sciara to score and LaBadia to move up to second behind Rios who stood at third. A subsequent passed ball brought in Rios for SVC to go ahead 4-3, and Diblasi's day then came to an end after walking junior shortstop Chris Nicastro Jr. (Kenilworth, N.J.). The pitching change did not stop the Mountaineer momentum as Hernandez came right up and hit one to short to plate LaBadia. After Nicastro swiped third, he scored on a Schuette single up the middle, making it a 6-3 ballgame.
Kowalczyk stayed in his groove through the seventh, needing only six pitches to get out of the inning. Rios made the first two outs including a stellar grab-and-throw on a chopper up the middle. A three-pitch strikeout retired the side in order, the fourth consecutive inning in which the left-hander did so.
After Southern Vt. wasn't able to do much in the bottom of the seventh, Kowalczyk returned to the mound and got pinch-hitting freshman Brian Godoy (Coral Springs, Fla.) to go down looking for his 16th straight out. Liberatore would end that streak with the next plate appearance, however, as he shot his second double of the day down the right field line. After moving to third on a wild pitch, Liberatore scored on a groundout to short by pinch-hitting freshman Anthony Bonilla (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) to make it a 6-4 affair.
Nicastro sent a frozen rope out to left in the bottom of the eight, but that would be all the Mountaineers could muster as the game went to the final frame.
There, Kowalczyk was able to work a strikeout before Terry hit one up the middle and beat out a throw from Nicastro in the hole. After a walk, sophomore reserve first baseman Matt Leach (Rockville Center, N.Y.) grounded into a fielder's choice to put runners at first and third. A Mountaineer infield miscue then allowed the game to continue as pinch-running freshman Nick LoCascio (East Meadow, N.Y.) came in to score and see the Eagles cut it to 6-5.
After Leach was swapped at second base for freshman runner Josh Outsen (Lindenhurst, N.Y.), Godoy singled a well-hit ball out to center. Outsen rounded third and headed for home as Sciara charged on the ball, picked it up and fired to the plate. The one-hop went right to Schuette whose positioning forced Outsen to try and go around for access to the dish; the sophomore catcher grabbed the ball, spun around and applied the tag just in time to end the game and give SVC its third straight win, all being by one-run margins.
Dubuque 6, Southern Vt. 2
The second game for the Mountaineers saw them hold a tight 2-1 advantage through the top of the seventh when the Spartans took the lead with a two-run bottom of the inning. Dubuque added three more in the eighth for insurance en route to the win.
Hernandez was 2-4 with an RBI and another stolen base while sophomore second baseman RJ Pingitore (Amsterdam, N.Y.) also had a 2-4 showing. Rios went 1-2 with two walks, a run and a stolen base, and LaBadia plated one run while knocking in another on a sacrifice fly; he currently leads the New England Collegiate Conference with 16 RBIs, five more than the second player in the category.
Spartan senior catcher Vince Parisi (Yelm, Wash.) was perfect at the plate, going 4-4 against SVC with a run scored. Freshman center fielder Daniel Casanova (Lake Trapps, Wash.) had a 2-4 performance with two RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base while freshman shortstop Gaetano Florio (Youngstown, Ariz.) went 2-4 with a run scored and another batted in.
Freshman righty Harley Miller (Oak Lawn, Ill.) had a strong start for Dubuque, going 6.2 innings while giving up just the two runs (one earned) on six hits and three walks. He struck out seven Mountaineers while working the no-decision as the Spartans trailed 2-1 when he got the hook. Miller was relieved by freshman right-hander Justin Naval (Oak Lawn, Ill.) who was credited with the win (1-0) after going the final 2.1 innings, allowing no runs on just two hits while striking out two.
SVC sophomore junior righty Dustyn Marfyak (Torrington, Conn.) was strapped with the loss despite throwing a strong seven innings in which he surrendered just three runs on eight hits and three walks; he struck out two in the loss (0-1).
In the top of the first, Rios was able to make his way to second with one out. He then ran down the base path on a fly-out to center and tried to retreat. The Spartans got it to Florio at the cutoff, and he then relayed the ball to freshman second baseman Will Fogel (Crystal Lake, Ill.) who finished the double play to end the inning.
Marfyak had little trouble getting out of the bottom of the inning as he gave up just a lone Dubuque hit. Sophomore left fielder Cameron Simpson (Warwick, R.I.) started to track backwards on a hard-hit Fogel fly ball his way, but the increasing wind that was blowing towards the first base line forced him to stop, sprint forward and lay out for the catch.
Southern Vt. got on the board first in the top of the second when LaBadia led-off the inning with a walk. After Nicastro took one in the back, LaBadia was fortunate not to get picked off after moving down the line on a ball in the dirt. Parisi ran at the junior and then fired to Florio at second as LaBadia neared the bag. Florio pulled his head off the throw as it caromed into the outfield, allowing LaBadia and Nicastro to each move up a base. Hernandez then hit a laser to right center to plate LaBadia, but it got to the Spartan outfield so fast that Nicastro had to hold up at third. The side would be retired with SVC holding the 1-0 advantage.
UD tied it up shortly after, scratching across a run with two outs in the bottom of the second. After a walk and hard-hit ball past Nicastro, Florio connected and sent one out to center. Sciara tried to mimic his heroics from the earlier game as freshman designated hitter Dalton Garst (Winnebago, Ill.) headed for home. The throw couldn't be rounded up as the run scored to even things at 1-1.
That tally did not last for long, however, as SVC tacked up another in the top of the third. Rios blasted a double over the head of Dubuque right fielder Steve Ryan (Loveland, Colo.) and then moved up to third on a well-struck single by Pingitore. LaBadia stepped in to one and sent it to left, deep enough for Rios to tag up and cross with ease for the go-ahead run.
Marfyak made quick work of the Spartans in the bottom of the third, helping himself by stopping a liner back at him and throwing over to first for the final out of the inning. After Miller retied the Southern Vt. side in order with help from two strikeouts, UD threatened to tie the game once again in the bottom of the fourth. With runners at first and second, Rios, playing at third, got dirty to pull in a hard-hit grounder and then threw down to second for the out. Casenova would get hit by a pitch to load them up, but Fogel grounded down to Rios who touched the bag for the third out.
Neither team was able to do much in the fifth or sixth innings with both defenses helping out their hurlers. In the top of the fifth, a high throw caused freshman first baseman Austin McWhite (Orlando, Fla.) to jump up and grab it and try to apply the tag on his way down. The base umpire signaled safe, but the ruling was overturned after a Spartan appeal to the home plate ump. The bottom of the inning saw Pingitore take a grounder with a runner on first and one out, turn his body around and fire to second to begin the 4-6-3 double play to end the inning. Florio then made a great diving stop in shallow center field on a grounder up the middle in the top of the sixth before Nicastro made a stellar spinning grab-and-throw behind the mound in the bottom of the frame.
SVC tried to get some two-out magic in the top of the seventh when Sciara roped one into left and then stole second. A Rios walk ended Miller's day as Naval came in to try and put an end to things. Pingitore got the better of him, however, and sent a pitch into center field. Sciara rounded third and darted for home, only to get a taste of his own medicine when Casenova fielded the ball and fired directly in to the plate where Parisi was able to make the catch and tag for the inning-ender.
That would be the end of the Mountaineer lead as the Spartans threw a four spot up on the board in the bottom of the seventh. Casenova carried his success from the field to the plate, leading-off the inning with a hit right back up the middle. After two pickoff attempts, Casenova broke for second and made it in safely. A walk to Fogel set up a Ryan sacrifice bunt to move the runners along. Casenova then tied the game as he crossed the plate on a wild pitch before McWhite worked a walk for a first-and-third situation. Freshman left fielder Michael Salazar (Scottsdale, Ariz.) then laid down a squeeze bunt, making way for Fogel to cross with the 3-2 go-ahead tally before a fly-out prevented further damage for the Mountaineers.
SVC was hard-pressed to make anything happen in the top of the eighth, going down in order with a strikeout followed by a pair of pop-ups. The Spartan bats then hit SVC relief hard in the bottom of the inning including back-to-back triples by Casenova and Fogel to score two and one, respectively. Fogel tried to score from third on a grounder to Rios, but the throw came to the plate where freshman catcher Nathan Cahoone (Westerly, R.I.) was waiting for the tag play to end the inning.
Naval went back out to the rubber and finished the game with a variety of retirements, getting a groundout, strikeout and the final fly-out to wrap up the Spartans' first win of their stay in Florida.
The Mountaineers next play on Wednesday with a doubleheader at the Player Development Complex against the University of Wisconsin-Stout, beginning at 10 a.m. The Eagles look ahead to a Tuesday doubleheader with the University of Massachusetts-Boston that starts at 1 p.m. while the Spartans next face the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Tuesday for a single nine-inning game that begins at 10 a.m.