HOBOKEN, N.J. (March 24, 2023) – Junior Christian Kreiser went yard to go along with four RBI and three hits as the Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team defeated Delaware Valley 12-7 Friday afternoon in a MAC Freedom contest at Dobbelaar Field.
Junior Jack Irby doubled and had two RBI while senior Michael Reyes scored twice and added an RBI groundout for the Ducks, who won their eighth straight to improve to 14-5. It was Stevens fifth straight win in conference play as they improved to 5-2 in the MAC Freedom.
The Aggies hit three home runs in the game: two off the bat of Andrew Panfile and one came from Hank Bielen. Delaware Valley dropped to 0-4 in MAC Freedom play this year. The loss also ends a two-game winning streak for the visitors, who fell to 5-8 on the season.
On a 2-2 count in the bottom of the seventh, Kreiser hit a laser up the middle to drive in what would be the winning run in Reyes, who had reached on an error. Kreiser has reached base in all 18 games this season, leads the MAC Freedom with 28 RBI, and is slugging a impressive .930, which also leads the conference by a wide margin. The run came against Colin Foley (0-1), who pitched three innings for the Aggies. He allowed three runs on three hits.
Leading by one in the bottom of the eighth, head coach Kristaps Aldins sent sophomore Zachary Boykin in to pinch hit for sophomore Colby Ching. Boykin then delivered a leadoff homer to extend the Ducks lead and kickstart a big inning. Stevens would end up scoring three more runs after the Boykin homer to give the Ducks a 12-7 advantage. With the bases loaded and no outs, sophomore Victor Schilleci walked to score sophomore Kevin Villares, who had reached on a single. First-year Dylan Fishbough scored one batter later after Reyes grounded out. Kreiser followed with a sacrifice fly to center field for his fourth RBI of the game.
First-year Erik Sibbach (4-1) earned the win on the season as he pitched 3 1-3 innings of scoreless relief. He struck out five of the 13 batters he faced while allowing one hit and no walks.
Stevens scored three runs in the first to take an early lead. With the bases loaded, Irby hit a ground-rule double to center field which scored both senior Ben Tobio and Schilleci. Reyes would also cross home plate during the inning thanks to a groundout from senior Chris Davis.
After a scoreless second, the Aggies jumped on the Ducks for five runs in the third to take a two-run lead. Panfile hit a two-run home run off of senior Justin Doyle. Doyle walked the next two batters which allowed Bielen to then hit a three-run shot. Doyle then struck out the next two batters to get out of the inning. Doyle lasted four innings and allowed six runs on four hits with five strikeouts.
Delaware Valley struck for another run in the top of the fourth only for the Ducks to answer with a pair of runs. Davis reached on a bunt single but that was followed by two strikeouts. Fishbough walked in the next at-bat and then both runners advanced on a wild pitch. The two then again advanced on balk by the pitcher Ethan Saxe, allowing Davis to score. Tobio walked in the next plate appearance, but he was then caught in a rundown one batter later, while attempting to steal second. However, the Ducks' leadoff hitter remained alive long enough to allow Fishbough to score, which cut the Ducks' deficit to one.
Stevens added a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to another home run from Kreiser. He hit a shot into right field on a full count to put the Ducks back in front.
Sophomore Matt Villapiano gave the Ducks an inning and two-thirds of relief. He allowed one run on two hits and also struck out two Aggie batters.
Up Next: Baseball continues their MAC Freedom series with Delaware Valley on Sunday, March 26. The matches are rescheduled from March 25 due to rain. The games are slated for 12 and 2:30 p.m. Links for live stats and video are posted to StevensDucks.com.
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