HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 27, 2011) – The Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team earned its first win of the 2011 season Sunday, defeating Mount Saint Mary College, 8-3, on a gorgeous afternoon at Dobbelaar Baseball Field in Hoboken, N.J. Junior designated hitter Matt Glassman had three hits, including a solo home run, and senior right fielder Russ Grimes drove in three runs to pace the offense, while sophomore starter Michael Donovan and sophomore reliever Kevin Mathews combined for a six-hitter and three earned runs.
Both pitchers put zeros on the board for the first two innings and after the Knights (0-1) pushed across a run in the top half of the third inning, junior left fielder Ryan Kiczek led of the bottom half with a mammoth home run to right field to knot the score a one apiece.
Donovan, who went six innings, put the Knights down in order in the fourth and fifth as Stevens was able to take its first lead in bottom half of the fourth, plating a single run on a Glassman solo shot to right-center.
The Knights came back to tie the game at two apiece in the sixth on a run-scoring single from sophomore Michael Morelli (Washingtonville, N.Y.) with one out, but Donovan was able to limit the damage. His final line went six innings, four hits, two earned runs, three strikeouts, and just one walk.
Stevens took the lead for good in the seventh with a pair of unearned runs. Sophomore centerfielder Corey Stryker reached on an error to lead off the inning, and junior second baseman Tom Phillips walked to put runners on first and second with nobody out. After a fly out, senior first baseman Kenneth Meerendonk walked to load the bases and a Grimes fielder's choice scored Stryker with the go-ahead run. Stevens was able to score another unearned run and took a two-run lead into the eighth inning.
MSMC trimmed the lead to one thanks to a two-out double from Morelli but Mathews stranded him on second, and the Ducks added four insurance runs in their half of the eighth inning. Freshman Jose Arismendi led off with a walk and advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches. Kiczek followed that with a walk of his own and after a failed squeeze attempt and flyout, Phillips walked to put runners on first and third with two outs for Linden. A wild pitch plated Kiczek with his second run scored of the afternoon, and Phillips scored on an RBI single from Linden. Meerendonk followed with a single to put runners on first and second with two outs for Grimes, and he delivered with a laser off the top of the right-center field fence.
In the ninth, Mathews threw three pitches for three outs to seal his first career win.
Stevens (1-2) finished with eight runs on eight hits as seven Ducks drew walks. Linden, Meerendonk (two), Grimes, Glassman (three), and Kiczek accounted for the hits, while Phillips and Kiczek each notched two runs scored. Mathews went three innings to earn the win, allowing one run on two hits and three strikeouts. He walked none.
The Knights finished with six hits, two each from Morelli and junior outfielder Matt Costello (Brooklyn, N.Y.). Junior lefty Josh Depew (Montgomery, N.Y.) went the first six innings for Mount Saint Mary, giving up three runs on five hits. Senior Matt Paci (Florida, N.Y.) came in and went two-thirds of an inning and took the loss. He gave up one run and two walks.
Stevens will return to action on March 6 when it hosts Skidmore College in a twin bill scheduled to get underway at 12 p.m. from Dobbelaar Field.
