HOBOKEN, N.J. (April 2, 2008) – Senior first baseman John Frustaci went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and two runs scored to help lead the Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team past Drew University on Wednesday evening in Hoboken, N.J. The Ducks (5-14) snapped a five-game losing streak with tonight's 9-3 win over the Rangers (3-15).
Stevens started things off in the bottom of the second as freshman third baseman Ken Meerendonk drilled the ball to the gap in right centerfield for a double. The following batter, freshman outfielder Brian Skocypec singled to centerfield, which advanced Meerendonk to third. After Skocypec stole second, sophomore infielder Eddie Daniele lifted a sacrifice fly to right field that plated Meerendonk for the first run of the game. On the play Skocypec tagged from second. With a man on third and two outs, freshman outfielder Matt Roman tripled off the right field wall to bring in Skocypec as the Ducks took an early 2-0 lead.
In the bottom half of the fourth, Frustaci lead off with a double to right centerfield. Skocypec singled through the left side which allowed Frustaci to take third. With men on the corners and one out, freshman infielder Mike Pagliaro drove in Frustaci off a fielder's choice as Skocypec was forced out at second. The Ducks now held a 3-0 advantage heading into the top of the fifth.
The Rangers saw life in the fifth as they were able to post a pair of runs to cut the lead 2-3. Sophomore catcher Thomas Sharp (Toms River, N.J.) doubled to left field, which drove in freshman outfielder Andrew Baxter (Ringoes, N.J.) and junior infielder Nixon Feliz (Passaic, N.J.).
However, in the bottom half of the fifth the Ducks blew the game open with a six-run rally to take a 9-2 lead. In the inning, Frustaci posted his second double of the game with a shot to centerfield that brought in freshman catcher Denis Ackermann and sophomore outfielder Anthony Andrews. After a pitching change by Drew, Meerendonk stepped to the plate and roped a double to centerfield to drive in Frustaci. After Skocypec reached base on a bunt single that moved Meerendonk to third, he then stole second as the Ducks once again had men in scoring position. They capitalized off a single up the middle from Daniele, which plated Meerendonk and Skocypec. After a wild pitch Daniele stood 90 feet from home. He scored off a single up the middle from Roman for the sixth run of the inning.
From then on it was solid pitching from the bullpen for Stevens as it gave up just two runs on four hits through the final four innings. Sophomore pitcher Alex Sota (1-1) started the game as earned the win for the Ducks for his five innings of work. Sota allowed four hits with no earned runs and struck out five. Freshman pitcher Jeff Hart saw his first collegiate appearance as he came and threw for two innings. He gave up just one hit and struck out a pair of batters.
Stevens was led by Meerendonk, who batted 2-for-4 with an RBI and a pair of runs scored. Pagliaro went 1-for-3 with a run scored and tallied four RBI. Skocypec ended the game having gone 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored. Roman also had a solid outing for the Ducks as he posted his first collegiate triple. He added a pair of RBI as he batted 2-for-3 in the victory.
For Drew, freshman pitcher Daniel Blum (Cambridge, Mass.) was tagged with the loss (0-3) for his four and one-third innings pitched. He rendered six runs on nine hits and struck out three batters. Sharp led the Rangers as he batted 2-for-5 with three RBI. Feliz went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, while senior outfielder James Soldo (Chalfont, Pa.) batted 2-for-5 with a run scored in the defeat.
The Ducks return to action this weekend as they continue Empire 8 play with two doubleheaders against conference rival St. John Fisher College. The first game on Saturday is slated for a noon start in Rochester, N.Y. The Ducks will enter the contest 0-4 in league play, while the Cardinals have not played a conference game as of yet. Live Stats will be provided at http://livestats.internetconsult.com/sjfc/baseball/.
