HOBOKEN, N.J. (March 19, 2010) – Sophomore second baseman Tom Phillips and junior first baseman Ken Meerendonk each homered in a six-run seventh inning to lift the Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team to an 11-8 comeback win over City College of New York on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Hoboken, N.J. Stevens got five splendid innings of relief from freshman Mark Poinsett, sophomore T.J. Griffin, and sophomore Vincent Vinci in the victory.
CCNY got on the board in the top half of the second inning, but the Ducks responded by tying the score in the bottom half thanks a double from Meerendonk and an RBI single from sophomore T.J. Alcorn.
In the bottom of the third the Ducks took their first lead of the game, pushing two runs across the plate. Phillips led off the inning with a walk and scored when senior centerfielder Mark Rasulo ripped his second double of the game down the left-field line. Rasulo advanced on a ground out and eventually scored on Meerendonk's second two-bagger of the afternoon.
The Stevens lead quickly disappeared in the fourth inning when the Beavers hit three two-run homers in the fourth inning to take a 7-3 leadf. Senior Pavel Cruz (New York, N.Y.), senior Willis Fernandez (New York, N.Y.), and junior Reuben Angeles (New York, N.Y.) accounted for the three homers.
Stevens got two runs back in the bottom half of the fifth thanks to three hit batters, a walk, and an error and Poinsett, who came on in the fifth in relief of junior Dan Anunziatta, held CCNY scoreless for the second-straight inning.
CCNY took a three-run lead (8-5) in the top of the seventh thanks to another unearned run, but the Ducks were able to come back. Meerendonk continued his strong day with a long homer to right field to bring the Ducks within one. Junior catcher Denis Ackermann laced a one-out double the opposite way to left field and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Sophomore third baseman Chris Coutros walked and senior left fielder Anthony Andrews singled to left to tie the game at eight apiece. Following Andrews, Phillips stepped to the plate and delivered his towering three-run homer to right to give Stevens its first lead since the bottom of the third inning.
Griffin pitched a perfect eighth and Vinci worked around some trouble in the ninth to get his third save of the season.
Poinsett went three innings, giving up two hits and one unearned run. He struck out four and earned the win. Phillips went 2-for-4 on the day with three runs batted in and three runs scored. Meerendonk was 3-for-4 with four RBI and Rasulo went 3-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Alcorn had two hits and an RBI.
Cruz had three hits, two runs scored, and knocked in a pair runs with his homer to pace the CCNY (6-3) offense.
Stevens will return to action on March 21 when it visits William Paterson University. The nine-inning game is scheduled for a 12 p.m. first pitch.
