ROCHDALE, Mass. — Becker College was able to salvage a win from its New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) baseball series against Southern Vermont College Sunday afternoon as the visiting Mountaineers fell 9-4 at Rochdale Park in the final matchup of the three-game set.
SVC led 2-1 after the fifth, but the Hawks then put up four runs in the next frame to pull ahead. Southern Vermont responded with a pair in the next box to get within one, only to see Becker tack up two of its own in the home half of the inning before padding its lead with two final insurance runs in the eighth.
The Mountaineers (9-12, 4-3 NECC) turn to a busy upcoming week that will see them play eight games in five straight days through Sunday. The first pair of that stretch comes on Wednesday when Southern Vermont hosts Daniel Webster College for a league twin bill slated to start at 1 p.m.
SVC sophomore third baseman Rob Spatafore (Mahopac, N.Y.) continued to produce at the plate, going 4-for-5 with a pair of RBIs. That performance extends his hitting streak to five games, all of which have been multi-hit appearances for the Mountaineer; he's batted .545 (12-22) with three doubles, a triple, and a home run for a .909 slugging percentage in that time, adding six runs knocked in and five runs scored.
Southern Vermont junior designated hitter Anthony Mercuri (Ridge, N.Y.) was 2-for-5 at the dish on Sunday with an RBI and a run scored while freshman center fielder Zack Stacey (Saratoga, N.Y.) was also 2-for-5 with a run; Stacey has now crossed the plate in eight of SVC's last nine games.
Mountaineer junior first baseman Niko Horwith (La Crescenta, Calif.) extended his hitting streak to six games dating back to March 16 for him to tie the team's season-high (RJ Pingitore). Freshman catcher Dan Mason (Bloomingdale, N.J.) was 1-3 with a walk on Sunday, scoring a run to now have touched the dish in five of Southern Vermont's last six games.
Junior righty Joshua Hay (South Glens Falls, N.Y.) got the start on the mound for SVC, giving up three runs (two earned) in five innings while tying his season-high of seven strikeouts in the loss (1-4).
Neither side could cross home in the first three innings of the afternoon, SVC stranding four runners on base through that stretch while Becker left one on in each frame. Hay tallied three of his strikeouts in that time with two coming to finish off the third.
Southern Vermont broke the scoreless stalemate in the fourth with a lone two-out run, Mason stealing second to get into scoring position for Spatafore. The sophomore then cranked a triple to center for the Mountaineers to grab the slim 1-0 edge.
SVC added to its lead in the next inning with another single score after Stacey moved up to second on a bunt. Horwith followed with a grounder to short that allowed Stacey to cross with the visitor's second run of the day.
Becker got one back in the bottom of the fifth as a one-out walk came around to score before Hay struck out the side. The Mountaineers then stranded a pair onboard in the sixth, making way for BC to take over the lead. The Hawks crossed five times in the home half of the frame, the scoring being aided by three straight walks to start the inning.
Southern Vermont was able to respond with a pair in the seventh, all the action coming with two outs to trim the hosts' lead down to 5-4. Sophomore shortstop John Arancio (Ordell, N.J.) singled to get on the pond, and Mercuri tagged a double to the gap in right center for his teammate to motor around and score. Spatafore would then rip a single through the left side two batters later, bringing Mercuri in to make it a one-run game.
The Hawks had an answer, however, as they came right back with two of their own in the bottom of the box. SVC loaded the bases in the eighth to no avail as Becker got out of the jam with a final ground out to third. BC then padded its cushion in its next trip to the plate, scoring two runs on three hits to go on top 9-4.
SVC worked a pair on in the ninth in a comeback attempt, but the Hawks were able to finish off the victory with a grounder to short.