UNION, N.J. (March 8, 2010) – The Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team suffered a tough loss to No. 6 Kean University, falling to the Cougars, 13-3, at Jim Hynes Stadium in Union, N.J. The Ducks are now 3-4 on the season, while Kean moved to 4-1 on the year. The Ducks will face their second nationally ranked team in three days when they play host to No. 3 Eastern Connecticut State University at Dobbelaar Field in Hoboken, N.J. on Wednesday, March 10.
Junior righthander Dan Anunziatta had trouble locating the strike-zone in the early going, walking sophomore D.J. Breckenridge (Fair Haven, N.J.) on four pitches before hitting Dave Zavistoski (Edison, N.J.) to put runners on first and second with no out. The Schenectady, N.Y. native would battle back however, getting it to two outs with runners on second and third.
Kean sophomore Lee Cavico (North Brunswick, N.J.) then hit a grounder to second, but Stevens second baseman Tom Phillips' throw to first sailed into the Ducks' dugout scoring two Cougar runs.
Junior Nick Nolan (Linden, N.J.) then followed things up with a two-out RBI double down the left field line before Ducks' senior Eddie Daniele made a nice play ranging to his left on a sharply hit grounder to retire the side.
The Ducks responded with a run of their own in the top half of the second when sophomore Chris Coutros drew a two-out walk. Phillips followed, blasting a two-out RBI double to center, making it 3-1.
After retiring the side in order in the Kean second, things began to unravel for the Ducks with a five-run Cougar third. With two on and two out, Nolan ripped a two-RBI double into the right centerfield gap, before a Stephen Nappe (Edison, N.J.) triple made it 6-1. The Cougars would tack on two more runs on an Eddie Jennings (Jackson, N.J.) single and a bases loaded walk before senior Mike Moceri (Yardville, N.J.) grounded out to end the five-run, six-hit Kean third.
Following a scoreless fourth, Stevens chipped into the Kean lead in the top half of the fifth. Junior catcher Denis Ackermann got things started, drawing a two-out walk. Fellow junior Russ Grimes then sent a Greg Baruka (Florham Park, N.J.) pitch over the left field fence to pare the Ducks' deficit to 8-3.
Sophomore reliever T.J. Griffin then shut the Cougars down for the second straight inning, retiring six-consecutive batters to keep Stevens within striking distance.
The Ducks threatened to trim the lead with runners on the corners and one out in the sixth, but senior Anthony Andrews flied out to center before Baruka picked off Phillips at second to end the inning.
Kean finally got to Griffin in the bottom of the frame beginning with a one-out Dylan Laguna (Edison, N.J.) RBI single to left that scored senior Michael Diaz (Westfield, N.J.). The Cougars plated another run on a Cavico sacrifice fly to left that made it 10-3. Kean added two more in the seventh on four-straight two-out singles.
Phillips went 2-for-3 on the day with an RBI, while Coutros finished 1-for-3 with a run scored. Grimes went 1-for-4 on the day with a two-run homerun.
