BENNINGTON, Vt. – Southern Vermont College's offense exploded for 14 runs on 22 hits Friday afternoon in a 14-2 win over Lesley University at Bill Epstein Field in the first of a three-game New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) baseball set.

The Mountaineers improve their mark against the conference to 4-6, 10-15 overall. Lesley falls to 6-9 on the year, 5-4 in the NECC.

SVC junior captain Sal Sciara (Massapequa, N.Y.) went 4-5 on the day with a walk, four RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base. Sophomore second baseman RJ Pingitore (Amsterdam, N.Y.) was 3-6 with three RBIs and a run scored, and sophomore left fielder Richard Rios (Pico Rivera, Calif.) had a 2-3 showing at the dish, stealing two bases and scoring three times.

Junior captain Chris Nicastro Jr. (Kenilworth, N.J.) was 4-5 for the Mountaineers with two RBIs and two runs scored out of the two-hole, and junior first baseman Cody LaBadia (Howes Cave, N.Y.) went 2-2 on the afternoon with a run batted in.

Southern Vt. freshman right-hander Dylan Angelo (Ft. Johnson, N.Y.) took the win from the hill to move to 3-2 on the season. He went all nine innings, allowing no earned runs on five hits and six walks; Angelo struck out four Lynx batters on the day. Lesley junior right-hander John Gosnell (Toronto, Ontario) was strapped with the loss (2-1) after surrendering six runs in three innings with the start.

Freshman third baseman Mike Slaby (Foxboro, Mass.) was 2-4 at the plate for the Lynx, and senior designated hitter Kevin Hopwood (Winter Haven, Fla.) worked two walks and scored a run in the effort. Senior right fielder Tyler Plourd (Canton, Conn.) was 1-3 with a walk and an RBI.

Lesley jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first, taking advantage of an SVC error and a bases-loaded walk. That would be the last time the Lynx would cross the plate, however, as Angelo got comfortable and started keeping LU off the base paths.

Southern Vt. went ahead in the bottom of the first with three runs, all coming via RBI singles after the first two batters reached base. The Mountaineers padded their lead in the third when Lesley opted to turn a double play and, in turn, allow the fourth SVC run to cross. Sciara and Nicastro each knocked in a run in the bottom of the fourth to then give Angelo a comfortable 6-2 lead.

The Mountaineers weren't done, however, as they tacked up another three runs in the fifth, first with a single by Sciara and then a two-run double by Pingitore. Still applying pressure in the seventh, SVC scored twice more and then capped the day with a three-run eighth for the 14-2 final.

The series concludes Saturday with a doubleheader at Bill Epstein Field, slated to begin at