CHICOPEE, Mass. — Southern Vermont College dropped a pair of New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) baseball contests Saturday afternoon, falling 6-2 and then 6-0 to Elms College at MacKenzie Stadium.
SVC took an early lead in the opening game of the day with a lone run in the first, but Elms came back to score five through the fourth to go in front. The Mountaineers were then held to just one more run the rest of the game while the Blazers got it back in the sixth before closing out the front-end win.
EC then tallied a 4-0 upper hand after the third inning of game two, keeping Southern Vermont off the scoreboard while tacking up two more insurance runs in the sixth during the shutout.
Still, with additional results around the league, SVC clinched an NECC playoff berth for the first time since 2011, making it into next weekend's postseason tournament.
The two sides conclude the league series on Sunday at Southern Vermont, first pitch of the finale at Bill Epstein Field slated for 12 p.m. That will also serve as SVC's Senior Day as the Mountaineers will recognize and honor their two departing team members in second baseman RJ Pingitore (Perth, N.Y.) and right-handed pitcher Chris Bradt (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) prior to the start.
Southern Vermont drops to 18-16 on the year and 10-6 in NECC action with the Saturday sweep.
GAME 1: Elms 6 – Southern Vermont 2
SVC freshman center fielder Zack Stacey (Saratoga, N.Y.) went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored while classmate and first baseman Cody Sullivan (Brunswick, N.Y.) had a 1-for-3 performance of his own with a run driven in.
Southern Vermont sophomore righty Jean-Carlos Berasgoico (New York City, N.Y.) went all six innings, giving up four earned runs and striking out two in the loss (2-4).
The Mountaineers got on the board first after Stacey reached on a Blazer error and moved into scoring position with a stolen base. Three batters later, Sullivan knocked a two-out single to center for the runner to round third and touch home for the 1-0 upper hand.
The SVC lead wouldn't last for long, however, as Elms scored once in the bottom of the first before adding another in the second to pull in front. After EC put up three more in the fourth to go ahead 5-1, Stacey sent a one-out single down the line in left for sophomore Niko D'Agnese (Mahopac, N.Y.) to come around from second with the Mountaineers' second run.
Elms got Southern Vermont to strand a pair of runners in the top of the sixth and then tacked on a lone score in the bottom of the frame to go up by four. EC retired the Mountaineer side in order in the seventh to finish off the front-end victory.
GAME 2: Elms 6 – Southern Vermont 0
SVC freshman catcher Dan Mason (Bloomingdale, N.J.) was 2-for-3 in the backend of the twin bill while senior captain RJ Pingitore (Perth, N.Y.), who moved from second to the mound, went 1-for-3 with the bat. Sophomore left fielder Luigi Magliocca (Broadalbin, N.Y.) added a 1-for-2 showing from the plate in the effort.
Pingitore struck out one Blazer batter in his six innings from the rubber during the loss (1-1).
Mason registered a one-out single to left in the top of the first, only to be erased when Elms worked an inning-ending double play before scoring once in the home half of the frame. EC got the Mountaineers to go down in order in the second, and the hosts extended their lead to 3-0 with a pair in the bottom of the box.
The Blazers scored one run again in the third and got SVC to strand a runner in both the fifth and sixth innings. The hosts padded their cushion with two more runs in the sixth before Southern Vermont got a pair on the pond in a comeback effort in the seventh. It would be fruitless, however, as Elms closed out the sweep to take the league series.