Albany, N.Y. – Senior third baseman Matt Marra (Brewerton, N.Y./Central Square) doubled twice and drove in four runs and junior pitcher Casey Cannon (Manasquan, N.J./Saint Rose/U. of Delaware) allowed just two hits over seven innings as the #16/20 Le Moyne College baseball team cruised to a 15-5 win over The College of Saint Rose in Northeast-10 Conference Southwest Division play on Tuesday afternoon at Bellizzi Field.
The Dolphins opened the game's scoring with a run in the first inning without needing a hit. Senior center fielder Brett Botsford (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) led off by drawing a walk, stole second, stole third and then scored on a throwing error by the catcher.
Le Moyne scored six times in the third inning on seven hits to blow the game open. Junior right fielder Zack Wiley (Toluca Woods, Calif./Crespi) walked to open the frame and then stole second. Marra followed with a double to right field to drive in Wiley. Following a single to left by junior shortstop Ryan Mahoney (Clay, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse), junior first baseman Brian Stinson (Binghamton, N.Y./Chenango Valley) singled to left field to plate Marra. After a pair of outs, junior second baseman Vincent Redmond (Ithaca, N.Y./Lansing/Garrett College) singled down the left field line to drive in Stinson. Sophomore left fielder Nate Reynolds (Johnson City, N.Y./Maine-Endwell) followed with a double off the left field wall to drive in Redmond and senior catcher Kyle Kalaka (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham), who reached on a single. Reynolds came around to score the final run of the inning on a double to left by Botsford.
The Golden Knights got on the scoreboard with a run on two hits in the bottom of the sixth inning. Shortstop Kyle Charron broke up Cannon's no-hitter with two outs in the frame with a single to center to drive in second baseman Ryan Hooker, who was hit by a pitch to open the inning.
The Dolphins extended their lead to 11-1 in the top of the seventh inning with four runs on three hits. Kalaka doubled down the left field line with one out and came around to score on a single to right field by Redmond. Following a pair of walks by Reynolds and Wiley around an out to load the bases, Marra doubled to right field to drive in Redmond, Reynolds and Wiley.
Le Moyne finished off its scoring in the ninth inning with four runs on two hits. Following walks by Reynolds and Botsford to open the frame, Wiley doubled down the left field line to plate Reynolds. After Mahoney was hit by a pitch to load the bases, freshman designated hitter Jeff DiLuglio (Penfield, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) doubled to right field to knock in Botsford, Wiley and Mahoney.
The Golden Knights cut into their deficit in the ninth inning with four runs on four hits. After third baseman Jevonte Osterhout led off with triple to right center, right fielder Alex Ferenti blasted a home run over the fence in right field. Following a walk by Hooker and a single by center fielder Nikko Wahl sandwiched between a pair of outs, Charron doubled to left center to drive in Hooker and Wahl.
Cannon improved to 5-0 on the year after striking out a pair of batters, while allowing just one run on two hits over seven innings of work. Botsford, Marra, Kalaka and Redmond each had two of Le Moyne's 14 hits. Justin Brooks lost to the Dolphins for the second time in six days after giving up seven runs (six earned) on seven hits and five walks over two and two-thirds innings.
Le Moyne (28-8-1, 13-4-1 NE-10, 8-2 SW), which captured the baseball point in the year-long "Upstate Challenge" between the two institutions, returns to action on Saturday with a doubleheader at Southern Connecticut State beginning at 12:00 p.m.
