Posted: Mar 31, 2012
Talk about Endicott basebal on Twitter: Tweet \#gogulls
QUINCY, Mass. - Eastern Nazarene College and Endicott College met in a chilly and wet Commonwealth Coast Conference baseball doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. The Gulls took game one 6-1 and pulled out a tight 3-2 victory in game two to sweep the Lions. With its sweep, Endicott improves to 10-9 on the season and 5-1 in CCC play. Eastern Nazarene drops to 2-16 and 1-5 in conference with the losses.
Endicott grabbed the 1-0 advantage in the first inning of game one, sparked by a lead off double from sophomore E.J. Martinez (Brooklyn, N.Y.). Senior Colin Sitarz (West Hartford, Conn.) picked up the RBI two batters later, scoring Martinez on a ground out to ENC starting pitcher, sophomore Anthony Berroa (Teaneck, N.J.).
Sophomore Max Pugh (San Diego, Calif.) tallied the Lions first base hit in the second inning, smacking a ball through the left side. Pugh would advance to second on a walk from senior Johan Villalona (Bronx, N.Y.), but would be caught stealing, thrown out by Gulls’ catcher, senior Adam Goldstick, on a perfect ball to EC shortstop, Martinez, to get the first out of the inning and serving as the catalyst for two quick outs by the Gulls’ defense.
Endicott put together a big third inning, scoring four runs on three hits, three stolen bases and two Lions’ errors to go up 5-0 in the contest. EC’s three hits came from sophomore Tad Gold (Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.), Sitarz, and freshman Harry Oringer (Dartmouth, Mass.).
In the fourth, EC scored its sixth and final run of the contest. Martinez tripled to lead off the inning, and junior Eric Lemke (Southington, Conn.) brought him home on the ensuing at bat.
ENC responded, scoring a run of its own in fourth off of back-to-back singles from seniors Steve Doyle (Weymouth, Mass.) and Danny Rodriguez (Bronx, N.Y.) and a Pugh RBI. It would not be enough, however, as neither team would score again in the contest.
Martinez went 2-4, with a double and a triple, and two runs scored in the game. Gold also recorded a triple in the contest. Sitarz knocked in two Gulls’ runs and claimed two hits of his own in the 6-1 win.
Six different Lions registered hits in the loss, including junior Mike Chiaradio (Teaneck, N.J.), Doyle, Rodriguez, Pugh, sophomore Dave Manning (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.), and sophomore Matt Jayne (Quincy, Mass.).
Senior Benjamin Petrides (Belchertown, Mass.) recorded the win for Endicott, his third of the season, while Berroa (0-4) took the loss.
Game two was much more competitive, as ENC sophomore Brandon Wells and EC sophomore Steven Carter (Brunswick, Maine) squared off on the mound.
Pugh led off the bottom of the second inning with a single through the left side and was promptly moved over by Rodriguez on a nice sacrifice bunt. Senior George Williams (Thornwood, N.Y.) came to the plate and pulled his weight, hitting a base knock to advance Pugh to third. Up next was Garza, who reached on a fielder’s choice, and tallied the game’s first RBI to give the Lions the 1-0 lead.
In the third, the Lions gave the lead back to the Gulls, committing three errors and allowing Endicott to score two runs on a lone hit, a lead-off double from Lemke.
Chiaradio fueled a Lions charge in the bottom of the third, singling, stealing a base and scoring off of an error by the Gulls’ shortstop which allowed Rodriguez to reach base and tally an RBI for ENC. Doyle also singled in the inning but was left on base as it came to a close.
Lemke singled, picking up his second hit of the day in the fifth inning. Gold got on base next via a fielder’s choice which saw Lemke out at second. A batter later, Oringer hit an RBI single to left center to score Gold, and give his squad the 3-2 lead.
Berroa tripled to lead off the sixth and it began to look as though Eastern Naz would tie it up, but the Gulls’ manager Bryan Haley called in sophomore closer John Morrison (Ridgefield, Conn.) who got his team out of the inning with two Lions on base.
Morrison got the save, allowing no hits in his 1.2 innings of action. Sophomore Connor McLaughlin (Clinton, Mass.) got the win for Endicott. He sits at 3-0 in the 2012 campaign.
Wells, who threw a complete game, gave up six hits, walked two and gave up just one earned run. He takes the hard luck loss and drops to 0-4 on the year.
Lemke went 2-4 for the Gulls and Oringer was a perfect 2-2 at the plate, with two RBI’s. Gold and senior Robert Goldstick (Deerfield, Ill.) tallied a hit apiece in the contest.
The Lions also recorded six hits in the game, again with six different players coming up with hits. Chiaradio, Doyle, Pugh, Berroa, Williams and Garza owned the knocks, with Garza and Rodriguez accounting for the Lions’ two RBI’s.
Endicott is set to face Western New England in Springfield tomorrow in a 12:00pm CCC doubleheader.
Eastern Naz travels to play CCC foe Gordon on April 2nd for a pair of contests beginning at 2:00pm.
