Philadelphia, Pa. – Freshman designated hitter Nick Place (Towanda, Pa./Towanda) had four hits and four RBI to lead the Le Moyne College baseball team to a sweep of Philadelphia University in a doubleheader at Alumni Field. The Dolphins won the opening game, 7-3, and rallied to win the nightcap, 7-5.

Le Moyne got the day's scoring started with three runs on three hits in the first inning. Sophomore right fielder Brian Cox (North Kingston, R.I./North Kingston) led off with a double to left center and moved third on a one-out single to the shortstop by third baseman Gabe Levanti (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker/Northeastern). Place then launched a three-run home run to left field.

The Dolphins added one run on two hits in the second inning. Sophomore left fielder JT Pittman (Ashland, Mass./Ashland/Bridgton Academy) opened the frame with a single to right field, took second on a groundout and then scored on a triple to center by freshman shortstop Josiah Gray (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle).

Philadelphia got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second with one run on two hits. Center fielder Michael Melendez doubled to center to open the inning, moved to third on a groundout and then scored on a sacrifice fly to center by right fielder Dan Klusman.

The Rams pulled within 4-2 in the third with a run on two hits. Second baseman Christopher Lorenzo led off with a single up the middle, advanced to second on a bunt single in front of the plate by left fielder Timothy Brodhag and then moved to third on groundout. Lorenzo then scored on a throwing error by the catcher as designated hitter Fernando Garza stole second.

Le Moyne regained its three-run lead in the fifth on one hit. Place drew a walk with two outs and came around to score on a double to left field by senior first baseman Pat Wright (Liverpool, N.Y./Liverpool).

The Dolphins added another run in the sixth on one hit. Pittman led off with a double to right center, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a throwing error by the left fielder.

Le Moyne completed its scoring with one run on one hit in the seventh. Levanti walked with one out, advanced to third on a double down the left field line by Place and scored as senior catcher Trey West (Fairport, N.Y./McQuaid Jesuit) reached on a fielder's choice.

Philadelphia scored once in the bottom of the seventh, but could not complete a comeback. Pinch-hitter Ronald Pellegrino reached on a fielding error by the second baseman to open the inning. After pinch-hitter Michael Taffe singled to right field two batters later, Pellegrino scored on a sacrifice fly by Garza.

Freshman righty Alex Dhionis (Groton, Mass./Noble and Grenough) earned his second win in six days after striking out four over six innings, while yielding two runs (one earned) on 10 hits. Wright finished with three of Le Moyne's 10 hits, while Place and Pittman each had two hits. Jonathon Gottschall took the loss after giving up six runs (five earned) on nine hits over six innings.

The Dolphins opened the scoring in the second game with one run in the first inning on three hits. Senior second baseman Brett Charbonneau (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) singled up the middle with one out, moved to second on a single through the left side by Levanti and scored on a single to center by Place.

Le Moyne doubled its lead in the second on two hits. West led off with a single to center, took second as Pittman was hit by a pitch and then scored from third on a two-out single through the left side by sophomore center fielder Tim Corapi (Liverpool, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy).

Philadelphia tied the score in the bottom of the fourth without getting a hit. Klusman was hit by a pitch with one out and moved to second on a walk by shortstop David McTaggart. On a double steal, the throw by the catcher was off its mark, which allowed Klusman and McTaggart to score.

The Rams took a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth with two runs on two hits and one Le Moyne error. Lorenzo led off with a walk, took second on a wild pitch and then scored on a one-out single to right field by Garza. After Garza stole second and took third on a wild pitch, he scored on a single to right field by first baseman Steven Wells.

Le Moyne regained the lead with five runs on six hits and two Philadelphia errors in the sixth inning. West led off with a single up the middle, took second on a groundout and then scored on a single to left field by Gray. After Gray stole second, he scored on a single to left field by Corapi, who advanced to second on a fielding error by the left fielder. Redshirt sophomore pinch-hitter Phillip Jasak (Palmer, Mass./Wilbraham & Monson Academy/Saint Michael's) then singled to left field to drive in Corapi with the go-ahead run, while advancing to third on a throwing error by the catcher. Charbonneau followed with single through the left side to knock in Jasak. Levanti capped the outburst with a double to center field to plate Charbonneau for a 7-4 lead.

The Rams put three runners on base in the bottom of the seventh, but could only score one run. Wells walked with one out and McTaggart followed with a walk with two outs to force a Le Moyne pitching change. Taffe greeted the new pitcher with a single to center to drive in Wells. Brodhag then struck out swinging to end the game.

Freshman righty Matt Acomb (Livonia, N.Y./Livonia) earned his first career victory after striking out two over two innings out of the bullpen, while yielding one run. Junior righty Damian Powers (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville South) earned his first save after getting the final out. Levanti tallied three of Le Moyne's 14 hits, while Charbonneau, Place, West and Corapi each had two hits. Brett Chupka took the loss out of the bullpen for the Rams after giving up five runs (four earned) on six hits in just one-third of an inning.

Le Moyne (12-8), which snapped a streak of straight doubleheader splits with Philadelphia, returns to action for its final non-conference road games of the year with a doubleheader at LIU Post next Sunday at 12:00 p.m.