BENNINGTON, Vt. – Southern Vermont College clung to a 2-1 lead through five and a half innings Saturday afternoon to pull out the win over Newbury College in a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) baseball pitching duel at Bill Epstein Field.
The two teams were slated to play two seven-inning games for Sothern Vt.'s Opening Day, but final field preparations forced the decision to play a single nine-inning contest Saturday and put-off the doubleheader until Sunday.
The Mountaineers improve to 2-2 in the NECC and 6-9 overall on the season. Newbury falls to 7-10 on the year, 2-3 against the league.
SVC saw a tremendous performance from freshman right-handed starter Dylan Angelo (Ft. Johnson, N.Y.) who picked up his second win of the season from the hill (2-1). He surrendered just the one run which came unearned in the top of the first. He allowed four hits and three walks in seven innings of work while striking out one on the day. Sophomore lefty Erik Johansen (Rosendale, N.Y.) went to the bump to start the eighth in relief, collecting his first collegiate save with the two innings of scoreless work; the southpaw gave up just one hit and no walks and struck out two Nighthawks out of the pen.
Mountaineer junior captain Chris Nicastro Jr. (Kenilworth, N.J.) had a strong 3-3 performance at the plate and scored the go-ahead run in the third after knocking in the tying tally. Sophomore left fielder Quinten Scott (Ashaway, R.I.) went 2-3 with the other run scored while sophomore third baseman Richard Rios (Pico Rivera, Calif.) was 1-4 with what proved to be the game-winning RBI.
NC freshman center fielder Ian Hruniak (Lutz, Fla.) was the only Nighthawk to collect multiple hits on the day, going 2-4 in the batter's box. Senior catcher David Dubay (Farmington, Conn.) was 0-2 with a pair of walks and the lone run scored for Newbury, being knocked in by junior third baseman Steven Broy (Gorham, Maine).
Southern Vt. finally got to see action on its diamond after a slew of schedule changes last week postponed the home opener four times. Bill Epstein Field was not immune to the harsh winter and resulting wet spring that has plagued fields throughout New England and upstate New York. Nevertheless, the Mountaineers worked hard to finally get their field playable and start the home schedule despite areas still being muddy and spongy across the surface.
Newbury tried testing the Mountaineers' defense in the sloppy conditions early with a lead-off bunt attempt, but Angelo was able to get off the mound and cleanly field the ball for the out. Newbury would scratch across a run without registering a hit, however, as a walk to Dubay preceded a pair of SVC miscues that moved him up to third. Broy caught enough of a pitch he liked to sent it out to center, deep enough for the runner to tag and make it home for the 1-0 advantage.
The Newbury defense started strongly, backing junior righty Daniel Lumb (Stoneham, Mass.) to protect the lead. Freshman shortstop C.J. ingraham (Georgetown, Mass.) collected three straight grounders his way to retire the bottom of the first in order, and he then helped turn an inning-ending double play to close out the second.
NC held its 1-0 lead until the bottom of the third when Scott came around to score on a ball hit through the right side off the bat off Nicastro. As the runner stood at second with one out, he took off on a pitch to Rios; the sophomore executed the hit-and-run, sending the ball into shallow left field to score Nicastro who rounded third and made his way in before the relay throw for the go-ahead run.
That score held through the fifth despite Southern Vt. threatening to put up more. Nicastro led-off with a ball hit to left field that dropped in and stopped, allowing him to motor around to second. The Mountaineers tried to move him to third with a sacrifice, but Broy collected the bunt, spun and fired to Ingraham at third who then slapped the tag for the out. SVC couldn't manufacture more after that as the action moved into the latter part of the game.
Newbury got things going in the top of the seventh, working runners to second and third with just one out. With the infield pulled to the grass, a slow grounder to Nicastro was corralled and promptly sent over to first as the runners were kept at bay. Angelo then induced a fly ball to center where junior captain Sal Sciara (Massapequa, N.Y.) fought the wind and put it in his back pocket to retire the side.
Nicastro tried to get the Mountaineer offense started in the bottom of the eighth with a well-hit ball to the outfield; it made its way over Hruniak's head in center but instantly stuck upon landing to hold Nicastro to a single. Sciara followed with a soft chopper down to Broy who bobbled the ball before looking to second and then making a last-minute throw over to first; there, the base umpire deemed that the ball just beat Sciara to the bag for the out. Nicastro was able to then take third on a passed ball, but he was gunned out at the plate when a weak grounder to short was collected by Ingraham who had been waiting at the inner edge of the diamond. The Nighthawks got out of the inning unscathed, bringing Johansen back out to the mound to try and close out the game.
In the top of the ninth, Newbury threatened to tie the score when a lead-off error then allowed a Nighthawk pinch runner to move up to second on a sacrifice bunt. That's as far as he would get, however, as Johansen put away the next two batters with a strikeout and an easy fly-out to right to seal the SVC victory.
Lumb was saddled with the loss (3-2) after giving up the two runs on seven hits and a walk in seven innings on the rubber. He recorded three strikeouts on the day.
After the game, both teams shaved their heads following a season of fundraising efforts to support the Vs.-Cancer Foundation's fight against kids' cancer. This was the second year SVC took the clippers to their heads and the first year of the friendly competition that included the Nighthawks. Prior to the game, the two teams had collectively helped raise over $6,000. To start the day, local 16 year old Kirstin Hodges tossed out the ceremonial first pitch; a patient at The Children's Hospital at Albany Medical Center, has been in remission from a cancerous brain tumor since 2008 when she was just eight years old. Hodges was welcomed by the Mountaineers back in December as an honorary team member.
The two sides line-up Sunday for the series-ending doubleheader beginning at Bill Epstein Field with an 11 a.m. first pitch.
Honorary Mountaineer Kirstin Hodges tosses out the ceremonial first pitch
