Posted: Mar 17, 2010
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – After opening a 4-0 lead through two innings of play, Endicott College was forced to overcome a 9-8 late inning deficit to hold off Ramapo College, 11-9, at the RussMatt Invitational in Winter Haven, Florida on Wednesday evening. The Gulls cranked out 15 hits in the winning effort to improve to 3-2 on the season.
A two RBI double from sophomore \#Colin Sitarz\# (West Hartford, Conn.) got the game going as Endicott was quick to jump out to an early lead. The advantage would grow to 5-1 entering the fifth inning before the Roadrunners rattled off four runs of their own to knot the game at 5-all.
Endicott answered right back in the bottom of the frame as freshman \#Ralph Fidaleo\# (Fairfield, Conn.) connected on his second homerun of the day, this time of the two run variety as the Gulls regained the lead.
The see-saw battle took an unfavorable Endicott turn in the eighth when Ramapo scored four runs on three Gull errors to grab the lead, 9-8. Despite the self-dug hole, Endicott showed early season toughness as the Blue and Green overcame the adversity with a three hit home-half of the inning, led by RBI singles from Sitarz, \#Mike Russo\# (Natick, Mass.) and rookie \#Joe Kasabuski\# (Saugus, Mass.). Sophomore \#Benjamin Petrides\# (Belchertown, Mass.) then came on to slam the door in the ninth, sitting down three of the four Roadrunner batters he faced by way of the K.
\#Colin Sitarz\# paced the Endicott offense as he went 4-for-5 with four RBI in the win. Fidaleo’s two round-trippers accounted for three RBI, while Russo, Kasabuski and \#Joe Klein\# (Monroe, Conn.) each had two hits for the Gulls.
Endicott returns to action on Thursday when the Gulls square-off with McDaniel in a late afternoon/evening doubleheader. Game one is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.
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