Hoboken, N.J. – Junior Erik Sibbach delivered a dominant performance on the mound, tossing eight shutout innings as the Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team blanked Lebanon Valley College 9-0 in their Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom opener on Friday afternoon.
 
Frank Tonina, Victor Schilleci, and Jack Reichlin each homered for the Ducks (4-7, 1-0 MAC Freedom), while Jacob Detwiler took the loss for the Dutchmen (4-9, 0-1 MAC Freedom).
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Stevens threatened early, loading the bases in the top of the first with no outs after singles from Schilleci, Eli Somers, and Liam DeRubertis. However, Detwiler worked out of the jam with a strikeout and a 5-3 double play to keep the Ducks off the board.
 
In the second, Stevens again loaded the bases as Kevin Villares singled, and Kieran O'Brien and Tonina were hit by pitches. Colby Ching then drew a walk to bring Villares home before Schilleci's groundout to first allowed O'Brien to score, giving the Ducks a 2-0 lead. Sibbach encountered his first challenge in the third, putting two runners on with two outs, but he escaped unscathed with a lineout to O'Brien at short. 
 
The Ducks had another scoring opportunity in the fifth, loading the bases on a Somers single, a walk to Reichlin, and a Quinton Sterling base hit, but a 4-6-3 double play ended the threat. Stevens doubled its lead in the sixth. Tonina launched a solo home run to right-center with one out, and two batters later, Schilleci followed with a deep shot to right, extending the advantage to 4-0.
 
Sibbach retired the side in order in the seventh before the Ducks broke the game open. DeRubertis led off the frame with a double, and Reichlin crushed a 0-1 pitch over the right-center fence for a two-run blast, making it 6-0. In the eighth, Tonina singled and advanced to third on a wild pitch and a Ching base hit. Ching stole second, and a throwing error allowed Tonina to score. After DeRubertis walked and stole second, Reichlin reached on an infield single, driving in two more runs with heads-up baserunning.
 
Jonah Swarts took over for Sibbach in the ninth and needed just six pitches to retire the Dutchmen in order, sealing the Ducks' shutout victory.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Tonina, Schilleci, and Reichlin each hit their first home runs of the season.
• Reichlin drove in a career-high four runs, finishing 2-for-4 at the plate.
• DeRubertis and Tonina each scored twice.
• Sibbach allowed just four hits and one walk over eight innings, striking out six on 94 pitches.

UP NEXT
Stevens and LVC will face off in a doubleheader tomorrow in Annville, Pa., with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m.