PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – Southern Vermont College fell 3-2 Thursday afternoon to Nichols College at North Charlotte Regional Park in non-conference baseball action.
Neither side scored multiple runs in any inning despite the two teams accounting for a combined seven errors. The Bison picked up their first win of the season to improve to 1-7 while the Mountaineers fall to 5-7.
NC got on the board first in the bottom of the second before adding another run in the fifth for the 2-0 lead. The Southern Vt. cut the deficit with a run of its own in the following half inning, but the Bison answered with their third in the bottom of the frame. The Mountaineers nearly tied it in the eighth, but they could only tally one run to cut the deficit to the 3-2 final.
SVC sophomore third baseman Quinten Scott (Ashaway, R.I.) went 2-4 with an RBI while junior center fielder Sal Sciara (Massapequa, N.Y.) added the other RBI on a sacrifice fly. Sophomore second baseman RJ Pingitore (Amsterdam, N.Y.) was 1-2 at the dish with a walk in the effort.
Nichols junior shortstop Brett Franciosi (Leominster, Mass.) registered four of the 10 Bison hits, adding an RBI and a run scored while missing out on the cycle by a home run. Freshman left fielder Matt Hardy (North Attleboro, Mass.) was 1-3 at the plate with a walk and a run scored, and freshman third baseman Tim Ford (Stafford Springs, Conn.) added an RBI and a stolen base for NC.
Both starting pitchers had great outings for their respective teams with Nichols sophomore righty Ryan McLane (Wallingford, Conn.) taking the win to improve to 1-1 on the season. He went 7.1 innings, allowing the two runs on six hits and a walk while striking out two. SVC freshman Dylan Angelo (Ft. Johnson, N.Y.) suffered the loss (1-1) despite giving up just three runs (two earned) on nine hits and a walk in seven innings. He also struck out two batters on the day.
McLane started things off to Southern Vt. sophomore shortstop Richard Rios (Pico Rivera, Calif.) with a high two-strike pitch that Rios tried to hold up on but, upon appeal to first, was punched out. After Scott shot one back up the middle to get the first Mountaineer on base, a pop-out preceded a throw-over to first by McLane that was just in time to pick-off the runner to retire the side.
After a groundout to third to start the bottom of the inning, Scott made a nice play and nearly got the runner at first. Junior first baseman Cody LaBadia (Howes Cave, N.Y.) made the scoop but couldn't hold on for the out as Ford reached safely. He wouldn't be there long, however, as Angelo caught him leaning towards second and fired over for the out. A fly-out to Sciara in left center would put the Bison away and send the game to the second in a scoreless tie.
Pingitore patiently worked the lead-off walk to start the top of the frame, but he was then erased on a 5-4-3 double play. McLane got himself out of the inning, inducing another grounder to the left side that was grabbed and tossed to first where freshman Jeff Sylvester (Berlin, Conn.) made a nice pick out of the dirt to close out the second.
Nichols got things going with one out in the bottom of the inning with a pair of singles pulled between Pingitore and LaBadia through the right side. Hardy then walked, but a throw down to second, as the runners were off on the pitch, bounced into the outfield and allowed sophomore designated hitter Joseph Nicolace (Cranston, R.I.) to head home and score for Nichols to take a 1-0 advantage. A 6-4-3 double play ended the threat and sent the Mountaineer bats back to the plate.
McLane got out of the top of the third with no trouble, inducing a pair of fly-outs to right before a grounder to short ended the box. Angelo had a quick inning himself, retiring the side in order with three groundouts including the final one, a chopper to Rios' right where he snagged and threw over to first to a fully-stretched LaBadia.
McLane had another 1-2-3 inning in the fourth, the first out coming on a dribbler in front of him where he scooped and tagged Rios. A grounder to third and then an unassisted play at first by Sylvester put an end to the Mountaineer's trip to the plate. NC wasn't able to do much in the bottom of the frame, the only Bison runner being Nicolace when the ump deemed he swung at a pitch for the third strike before the ball bounced off freshman catcher Tony Mercuri's (Ridge, N.Y.) leg protector and away for the batter to reach. He wouldn't advance past first, however, as a fly-out to right was followed by a grounder up the middle that was fielder by a diving Rios who flipped to Pingitore for the out at second to retire the side.
Pingitore led-off the top of the fifth with a hard-hit liner at McLane that ricocheted off the sophomore, allowing the batter to reach. Junior right fielder Roland Hernandez (Pico Rivera, Calif.) hit a frozen rope, but it went right at Franciosi who caught the ball in the air before it hit the dirt; Pingitore was able to retreat back to second to avoid being doubled off. He would get stranded there as a fly-out to right and a grounder to third ended the inning.
Nichols again got its offense rolling in the bottom of the fifth, first with a double to deep left by Franciosi. He was able to move up to third when junior catcher Collin Geagan (Watertown, Mass.) squared and laid a bunt down the grass on the third baseline for a single. When Angelo tried to pick-off Franciosi at third, the ball got away just far enough for Geagan to move up to second. Sophomore center fielder Brady Boisvert (Plainfield, N.H.) then chopped one back to Angelo who made the snag, looked back the runner at third, and tossed over to LaBadia for the first out of the inning. Ford was then able to tally an RBI with a weak grounder back to the mound; Angelo charged and tried to make the flip, but Franciosi sped in under the tag for the Bison to take a 2-0 lead. A LaBadia field-and-tag preceded a fly-out to left to end it for Nichols.
Mercuri reached first to lead-off the top of the sixth when he skied one into shallow right field where sophomore second baseman Benjamin Harrow (North Reading, Mass.) lost it in the sun for the ball to drop in. Mercuri moved up to third after the throw over to first by Ford on a grounder by Rios and came in to score the first SVC run on a double down the right field line by Scott, a ball that found its way down between three Bison fielders and rolled into foul territory. McLane got out of the inning with the runner stranded when he got LaBadia to wave and tip a curve into Geagan's glove for the third out.
The bottom of the sixth started when Rios had to fight the sun and snag a pop-up in shallow left field. Angelo then induced a second pop-out, a ball in the air to Scott in foul ground. Hardy extended the inning with a ball sent out to right-center field for the triple, and he then plated on a hard-hit ball over Scott's reach into left field to put the Bison up 3-1. Scott corralled a grounder his way and made the throw over to first, retiring the side and sending it to the seventh.
SVC's bats couldn't do much against McLane in the top of the frame, going down in order with a pair of routine grounders and then a fly-out. The first two Nichols batters rolled balls to Rios for outs, but Harrow kept the inning alive with a ball sent out to center that just made its way down in front of a diving Sciara. Sylvester then chopped one high over Scott's glove to left, and a Mountaineer throwing miscue on a groundball loaded the pond. Angelo got himself out of the jam with a two-strike pitch that saw the home plate umpire ring up freshman right fielder Tyler Ferdinand (Middleboro, Mass.) who had entered the game defensively in the top of the inning.
Sophomore pinch hitter Cameron Simpson (Warwick, R.I.) started the top of the eighth for the Mountaineers with a seeing-eye single through the right side. Sophomore Fabian Hance (Miami, Fla.) followed with another pinch-hit single down the right field line, and Sciara then launched one to deep right center to plate Simpson and cut the SVC deficit to 3-2. That ended McLane's day as Nicolace went from the dugout to the mound. Rios bounced one down to third where Ford bobbled the ball before making a throw off the mark to first, allowing runners to reach first and second with one down. The lefty threw a third strike at knee level, getting Scott to go down looking for the second out. LaBadia then made solid contact on the ball, but it went right to Boisvert in center to retire the side and keep the Bison up by a run.
After moving from second to the mound, Pingitore knocked down a Hardy ball hit back at him, found it and made the throw over to first for the out. Franciosi picked up his fourth hit of the day with a blast to right, moving around to third on the roll. That's where he would stay, however, as Pingitore struck out Geagan before getting Boisvert to ground over to third for the final out of the inning.
Trying to close it out and save the Bison's first win of the season, freshman righty Adam Rigney (Niantic, Conn.) came to the rubber for NC. He threw a curve for Pingitore to swing and miss for the first out, but a Bison infield error allowed Hernandez to then reach for the Mountaineers. With two strikes, Hernandez took off on the pitch while junior Chris Nicastro Jr. (Kenilworth, N.J.) grounded over to second; the runner advanced, but Harrow retired the batter at first for the second out of the inning. Simpson got under the ball and flew out to center where Boisvert was camped under for the final out of the Bison victory.
Southern Vt. returns to Ft. Myers to wrap up its Gene Cusic Classic action Friday at 8 a.m. against Knox College before heading back to the northeast. The Bison continue the Snowbird Classic Friday with a 12 p.m. first pitch against University of Wisconsin-Platteville.