DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (March 23, 2023) – The Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team split a doubleheader with Delaware Valley 5-7 and 9-2 on Sunday afternoon in a MAC Freedom doubleheader at Frank Wolfgang Field. The Ducks win the series 2-1 after taking the first game on Friday in Hoboken.
Senior Michael Reyes totaled three hits and had four RBI to pace the Ducks on the day. Reyes also hit a two-run homer in the game one loss. Senior Ben Tobio recorded three hits in the opening game and also brought home a run. He scored twice in the game two victory. The Ducks are now 15-6 on the season and are 6-3 in conference play, as they are winners of nine of their last ten games.
Blake Ramos recorded four hits and scored three runs for the Aggies in their 7-5 victory to earn their first conference victory of the season (6-9, 1-5). Delaware Valley also earned only their second victory all-time against Stevens, who holds a 8-2 advantage in the series.
After dropping the first game of the day, the Ducks responded in game two. The Ducks scored twice in the first inning to open an early lead. Senior Ben Tobio was hit by a pitch in the first at-bat of the game, and he was later brought home on a single from senior Micheal Reyes. Reyes was also able to come home in the inning, as sophomore Victor Schilleci drew a bases loaded walk to bring home Reyes.
The Aggies scored two runs of their own in the bottom of the first to tie things up. Jonathan Drews hit an RBI triple as well as scoring a run in the inning.
After scoreless second and third innings, Stevens regained their two run advantage by scoring twice in the top of the fourth. With two outs on the inning, sophomore Zachary Boykin took a walk and then stole second to give the Ducks a runner in scoring position. Junior Jack Stafford hit an RBI double in the next Duck at-bat to score a run. Stafford would later steal third and score a run thanks to a single from junior Frank Tonina.
Stevens scored one run in the fifth inning to extend their advantage to three. Tobio again drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second thanks to a sacrifice bunt from senior Chris Davis. Tobio advanced to third on a wild pitch, and then scored on a sacrifice fly from Reyes.
The Ducks exploded in the sixth inning to put things out of reach. Boykin grounded out to start things out, but almost everything went right for the Ducks from there. Stafford was hit by a pitch and then Schilleci hit a double to put two runners in scoring position. Tonina then walked in the following at-bat to load the bases. Sophomore Evan Pravato and Tobio then walked in back-to-back at bats to score one run each. Davis then hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Tonina, as well as advancing Pravato to third. Pravato would later score on a wild pitch to cap off a four run inning for the Ducks, which gave them a 9-2 lead.
Junior Jacob Buurman (2-1) earned the win for the Ducks in game two, pitching three innings, striking out three, and allowing zero runs or hits. Stevens only allowed three hits in the game, all of them coming off the senior Mark DeCicco, who earned the start. Junior Axel Johnson and sophomore Will Staviski combined to pitch two innings. Nick Covolus (0-1) took the loss in relief for Delaware Valley. He allowed four runs on three hits.
Junior Christian Krieser, who has reached base in every game this season, got the Ducks on the scoresheet in game two, driving a ball to right center to score Ben Tobio. Despite Stevens scoring first, the Aggies scored five runs across the first two innings to give them a four run lead.
With Schilleci on second after reaching on a fielder's choice and han advancing on a wild pitch, Reyes hit a bomb to right field to get the Ducks back in the game with the score now reading 5-3 in favor of the Aggies. The home run was Reyes' fourth on the season.
Stevens added two more runs in the sixth inning in an attempt to make a comeback, as Boykin hit a sacrifice fly and Tobio hit an RBI single for the visitors. The Ducks would fall short as they were unable to bring home any more runs, losing their first game since March 11.
Sophomore Jordan Fisse (0-1) pitched one and two-thirds innings for the Ducks. He allowed four runs on five hits while also striking out two Aggie batters.
Dalton Moore (3-2) pitched 5.1 innings in the victory. He allowed five runs on seven hits, but struck out four Duck batters. Orion Frailey earned his first save of the season for Delaware Valley. He struck out one batter and gave up one hit in one and two-thirds innings of work.
Up Next: The Ducks continue conference play on the road on Tuesday, Mar. 28, as they visit FDU-Florham. The game is set to start at 3:30 p.m. Stevens is 11-8 all-time against the Devils, including winning the last eight. Links for live stats and video are posted to StevensDucks.com.
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