HOBOKEN, N.J. (April 25, 2011) – Freshman pitcher Dan Allen tossed seven innings of shutout ball and senior first baseman Kenneth Meerendonk went 5-for-5 at the plate with two RBI and three runs scored to lead the Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team to a 12-0 win over Baruch College on Monday at Dobbelaar Field in Hoboken, N.J. With the win, Stevens improves to 11-17 overall and pushes its winning streak to six games. Baruch falls to 12-17 on the season in defeat.
As has been the case during the winning streak, Stevens jumped out to an early lead, with a single run in the home first. Meerendonk singled to right with one out, and senior centerfielder Russ Grimes singled to center with two down before junior right fielder Matt Glassman delivered a two-out, run-scoring single down the right-field line.
The 1-0 lead held until the bottom of the fifth when the Ducks extended the advantage to 4-0 with three runs on four hits. Junior second baseman Tom Phillips and Meerendonk singled before senior catcher Denis Ackermann drove in his first run of the day with a single inside of third base to bring home Phillips. Grimes followed with a sacrifice fly, and Glassman notched his second two-out RBI to make it 4-0 Ducks.
The lead ballooned to seven (7-0) in the bottom of the sixth thanks to run-scoring singles from Meerendonk and Ackermann and a wild pitch from Baruch reliever Daniel DeRiso (Long Island City, N.Y.).
The Ducks scored five more in the seventh inning courtesy of four hits. Glassman led off with a walk and came around to score on a line-drive double into the left-center field gap off the bat of junior left fielder Ryan Kiczek. Junior shortstop Corey Linden was hit by a pitch, and Kiczek scored on an RBI single from sophomore third baseman Tyler Courter to make it 9-0 Stevens. A single from senior designated hitter Mike Caruso re-loaded the bases before a fielder's choice and a Meerendonk double pushed the score to 11-0. Ackermann brought home the final Stevens run of the game with an RBI ground out.
Allen came out in the top of the eighth after a masterful performance on the mound. He allowed no runs on two hits, walking four and striking out eight Bearcats in his seven innings of work to earn the win (2-2). Junior lefty Chris Tucci pitched the final two innings for the Ducks, not allowing a hit and striking out two.
Freshman pitcher Sami Zantout (Brooklyn, N.Y.) started for Baruch and took the loss. He allowed 12 hits and seven runs in 5.2 innings pitched. Senior shortstop Richard Melendez (Miami, Fla.) and junior outfielder Thomas Daly (Valley Stream, N.Y.) had the two Bearcat hits.
Stevens pounded out 17 hits on the day, led by Meerendonk's 5-for-5 with two runs batted in and three runs scored. Ackermann went 2-for-5 with a run scored and three RBI, while Glassman was 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored. Courter finished 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Caruso was 2-for-5 with a run scored. Linden, Kiczek, Grimes, and Phillips all had one hit on the afternoon.
Stevens will look to continue its winning ways on Tuesday when it visits The College of New Jersey at 3:30 p.m.
