HOBOKEN, N.J. (March 25, 2016) – The Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team swept a doubleheader against SUNY-Canton on Friday.
The Ducks moved to 9-8 and 2-0 in the Empire 8 Conference, while Canton fell to 4-11, 0-2 in the E8.
GAME 1 (Stevens 4, Canton 1)The Ducks scored single runs in each of the first four innings, which proved to be enough. In the first, junior
Nolan Bennett knocked in senior
Jayson Yano, who had led off with a double. Canton answered back with a sacrifice fly in the top of the second, but that would be the only run they would account for.
Junior
Michael Mule' laced a one out single to right center in the second, and advanced 180 feet thanks to a pair of passed balls. Freshman
Carlos Leon drove him home with an RBI groundout. The Ducks manufactured a run on only one hit in the third, as senior
Jonathan Toro notched an RBI on a fielder's choice.
Junior
Zeph Walters was cruising, as he retired the side in order in three of his first four innings. Walters ran into trouble in the fifth. After getting the first two outs, Travis Schindler and Derrek DuPont hit back-to-back singles. The junior escaped the jam by getting the pinch hitter with a strikeout. The Ducks tacked on an unearned run in the fifth, as Yano scampered home on a passed ball.
The Ducks collected three stolen bases, and drew four walks in the opener. Walters tossed five innings, fanning six while allowing just one earned run on four hit. Senior
Ryan Patterson locked down the final two innings, allowing one hit for his third save.
Schindler had two hits for the Kangeroos, as starter Tom Brusca took the loss, striking out three in five innings.
GAME 2 (Stevens 5, Canton 4)Stevens wasted no time getting on board, putting up a three spot in the first on just one hit. Walters lofted a sacrifice fly, and Mule' blooped in a single to right that scored a pair. Canton whittled the lead down to two in the second, as Seth Douglas blasted a solo home run to right field.
The Roos knotted the game at three in the fourth, as Brandon Welch and DuPont recorded RBI's, with DuPont hammering an RBI double to right center. The Ducks re-took the lead in the home fourth, as junior
Garrett Wells sent a ball back through the box to score a run.
The lead didn't last long, as Jeremy Baez added a sacrifice fly in the fifth. Sophomore
Andrew Hamel worked well through five innings, striking out four while only walking one. Hamel exited after the fifth handing the ball over to senior reliever
Bret Viola.
Viola ran into trouble in the seventh, as the Roos put runners on second and third with one out. Baez hit a comebacker that knocked the glove off of Viola, but he was able to recover and make the play. After walking Douglas intentionally, Viola got a fly out to end the threat.
After getting set down in order in the eighth, Viola ran into some two-out trouble in the ninth. Douglas was once again intentionally walked to load the bases, and this time the senior got a ground ball to first base to end the threat.
Pinch hitter
John Sideris reached base on catcher's interference to start the home half of the ninth. Pinch runner
Matthew Pasko moved to second on a bunt, Bennett was intentionally walked. With two outs, Wells stepped up and singled to left center, scoring Pasko and giving the Ducks their third walk-off victory of the season.
Yano and Wells collected two hits each, as Mule' had two RBI's to go along with a pair of walks. Viola tossed four shutout innings, striking out three.
Three Kangaroos had multiple hit outings, with starter Travis Bigelow tossing 8+ innings, striking out seven.
The two sides will meet again tomorrow at 5:30 p.m.
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