HOBOKEN, N.J. (May 1, 2011) – Senior centerfielder Russ Grimes went 3-for-4 with four runs batted in, and senior righty Kyle Hanas went 3.1 innings and allowed just one run as the Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team (13-20 overall, 5-7 Empire 8) earned a split with Utica College by taking the second game of a doubleheader, 8-6, at Dobbelaar Field in Hoboken, N.J. on Sunday. The Ducks, who dropped game one 6-2, honored their seniors prior to the twin bill.
Utica 6, Stevens 2 – Game One
The Pioneers (7-23 overall, 4-7 Empire 8) scored four runs in the second inning off of Ducks starter Tyler Courter and Stevens was never able to get closer than two the rest of the way. The Pioneers had six hits in the inning.
Stevens was able to slice the lead in half in the sixth inning with a pair of runs on two hits. Senior catcher Denis Ackermann began the rally with a one-out single to center and the Ducks loaded the bases thanks to back-to-back walks. After a shallow fly out, senior Mike Pagliaro doubled down the left-field line to plate both runs to bring Stevens within two, but the Ducks were unable to push across anything else. Utica plated two more in the top of the seventh inning for the final margin.
Senior third baseman Anthony DiSalvo (Washingtonville, N.Y.), sophomore shortstop Chris Podlucky (Grand Island, N.Y.), sophomore designated hitter Nick Dunbar (Granville, N.Y.), and freshman left fielder Alec Choleva (Conventry, Conn.) all had multiple hits in the opener as Utica finished with 11 for the game.
Stevens, which finished with six hits in game one was led by two RBI from Pagliaro and a 2-for-4 contest from Ackermann. Courter went five innings and allowed four runs and nine hits. He had seven strikeouts and no walks. Junior Jeffrey Hart tossed the final two innings in relief, giving up two runs (one earned) on two hits. He struck out two and walked one.
Stevens 8, Utica 6 – Game Two
Grimes launched his 21st career home run to give the Ducks a 2-0 lead in the first inning of game two and the Ducks did not relinquish the lead the rest of the way, but the Pioneers did not go quietly.
The lead was trimmed to one in the second inning as the Pioneers plated a single tally, but the Ducks upped the advantage back to two in the third courtesy of four hits. Ackermann and Grimes started the inning with singles, and junior Matt Glassman dropped down a gorgeous bunt base hit to load the bases with nobody out. Junior Ryan Kiczek followed with an RBI single, but the Ducks were unable to push across anything else.
Stevens pushed its lead to three with another score in the fourth thanks to a two-out double from senior Kenneth Meerendonk and a run-scoring single from Ackermann.
The Ducks continued to tack on with two in the fifth and two more in the sixth. The fifth inning runs scored on a two-run single off the bat of junior shortstop Corey Linden, while a Grimes single accounted for the runs in the sixth.
Utica came back in the seventh with five runs on two hits and three walks but sophomore reliever Craig Leopold came on to nail down the save with the tying run at the plate.
Hanas started for Stevens, going 3.1 strong innings. He allowed a run on five hits and struck out two. Freshman Dan Allen came on and threw 2.2 innings of scoreless relief in a solid effort, while junior Vincent Vinci and Leopold combined to finish things in the seventh.
Utica had seven hits in game two, and the Ducks banged out 13. Hitters 1-5 in the Stevens lineup combined to go 11-for-17 with five runs batted in and seven runs scored. Phillips, Meerendonk, Ackermann, and Glassman had two hits apiece, and Grimes had three. Linden was 1-for-3 with two RBI and Kiczek went 1-for-4 with an RBI.
Stevens will return to action with a non-conference game at the College of Staten Island on Wednesday, May 4.
