HOBOKEN, N.J. (March 11, 2022) – The Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team broke out the bats Friday in a doubleheaders sweep of Old Westbury in a non-conference matchup at Dobbelaar Field.

Stevens won the opener 11-1 before posting a 16-3 victory in game two. The victories moved Stevens to 10-3 on the season. The Ducks have won four straight. 

Oscar Fajardo homered and drove in three for the Panthers, who dropped to 0-7. The Ducks have won three of the last four meetings between the teams. 

"We are playing some good baseball right now. We are swinging the bats well across our lineup and pitching is shaping up to be a big strength for us as well," commented head coach Kristaps Aldins. "It was outstanding to see Christian Kreiser step into the lineup today and make the impact that he did. It really speaks to the readiness and depth of the student-athletes on our squad."

The Ducks used the long ball in both games, connecting for a total of five homers across both ends of the doubleheader. Kreiser led the way with his first two-homer contest, while graduate student Thomas Paulich, senior Ryan Finegan and sophomore Jack Irby each had one. As a team, The Ducks had connected for just two homers entering Friday's action. 
 
The offensive fireworks provided both Stevens starters with early leads. Kreiser's second-inning homer provided junior Anthony Pron (3-2) with a cushion, but the Ducks' right-hander didn't need much more. Pron fired his first career complete game, allowing just a single run on eight hits with eight strikeouts. Pron didn't walk a batter. The seven-inning gem marked the longest outing of Pron's career. Patrick Quinn (0-2) allowed six runs on seven hits over four innings in defeat for Old Westbury.

Old Westbury cut the lead to 2-1 in the top of the third on a single from Drew Robertson, but Pron was able to minimize the damage, inducing an inning-ending double play started by first-year Evan Pravato.

The Ducks broke the game open with a single run in the third and three runs in both the third and fourth innings. Paulich, Finegan and Kreiser struck the big blows, connecting for back-to-back-to back homers on four pitches in the fifth. The blasts were the first four pitches thrown by Old Westbury reliever Joshua Cruz.

Paulich finished the opening game 3 for 3 with four runs scored. Senior Ryan Wall, Finegan and Kreiser each had a pair of hits. Jamal Ritter had the Panthers' lone extra-base hit of the contest.
 
The Ducks followed a similar script in the nightcap, jumping out to a nine-run lead in support of junior left-hander Ryan Shea (4-0). Paulich led off the second with a double down the left-field line and moved to third on a groundout. Kreiser drove in a run with an infield single and then the Ducks' outfielder stole second. Pravato walked. Kreiser moved to third on the first of two wild pitches by Joseph Lubrano (0-2). Pravato stole second and the Kreiser came around to score on Lubrano's second wild pitch. Pravato eventually scored on a balk as the Ducks plated three runs in the frame on two hits. The Ducks also stole four bases in the frame. 

Stevens broke the game open with six runs in the third. A throwing error led to two runs and Wall drove a double down the right-field line to score Pravato and junior Ben Tobio. The Ducks sent 10 batters to the plate in the inning and scored their six runs on just three hits.

The large lead was more than enough for Shea, struck out five to earn his fourth victory of the year. The Westwood, Massachusetts native threw four shutout innings before running into trouble in the fifth, with Fajardo delivering the big blow with a three-run homer. Sophomore Jacob Buurman struck out four in 2 2-3 innings to preserve the victory.

Paulich scored three of the Ducks' 16 runs. The Glen Cove, New York native crossed home seven times over the doubleheader. Pravato finished the contest with three RBI, setting a career high. Irby had a two-run, pinch-hit homer in the sixth.

Up Next: Stevens will continue its weekend homestand tomorrow, Mar. 12, when they welcome Middlebury College to Dobbelaar Field for a Saturday matinee. The Ducks lead the all-time series with the Panthers 3-0 and enjoyed a tight 5-4 victory back in 2019 in Hoboken.
 
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