New Haven, Conn. – Junior righty Josiah Gray (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) allowed just three hits over eight innings in the opener and junior first baseman Nick Place (Towanda, Pa./Towanda) scored three times and drove in three runs in the nightcap as the 11th-ranked Le Moyne College baseball team swept Southern Connecticut State University in a Northeast-10 Conference Southwest Division doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at The Ballpark at SCS. The Dolphins won the first game, 8-2, and posted a 12-5 victory in the nightcap.

The Dolphins got the scoring started in the opener with a run on two hits in the first inning. Senior right fielder Brian Cox (North Kingstown, R.I./North Kingstown) singled to center, took second on a walk, moved to third on a fly ball and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by redshirt junior shortstop Ben Walsh (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill).

Southern Connecticut State used an unearned to tie the score in the bottom of the inning. Shortstop Jim Palmer singled through the right side and took second on a passed ball. After moving to third on a sacrifice bunt, Palmer scored on a groundout by first baseman Tyler Criscuolo.

Le Moyne regained the lead with three runs without getting a hit in the second. Junior left fielder David DiNorcia (Naples, Fla./Seacrest Country Day) reached second on a throwing error by the pitcher to open the frame. After walks by redshirt freshman second baseman Brian O'Mara (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill) Cox around a sacrifice bunt to load the bases, junior catcher/third baseman Camillo Spinoso (Syracuse, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy/George Washington) walked to force in DiNorcia. Following an out, Walsh walked to knock in O'Mara and force a pitching change. The new pitcher proceeded to walk senior designated hitter JT Pittman (Ashland, Mass./Ashland/Bridgton Academy) to plate Cox.

The Dolphins pushed their lead to 5-1 with a run on two hits in the sixth. Spinoso doubled down the left field line with two outs and came around to score on a single to left center by Place.

Le Moyne added another run in the seventh on two hits. Pittman walked to start the frame, took second on a groundout and scored on a single to left center by DiNorcia.

The Dolphins tacked on their seventh run in the eighth. Place walked with two outs, advanced to second on a single by Place and scored on a single by Pittman.

The Owls took advantage of a Le Moyne error in the bottom of the eighth to score their second run. Catcher Mike Giordano reached on an error by the second baseman with one out and came around to score on a two-out double to right by Palmer.

Le Moyne finished off the game's scoring in the ninth. DiNorcia led off with a single to center, moved to second on a sac bunt, took third on a passed ball and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by senior center fielder Timothy Corapi (Liverpool, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy).

Gray improved to a conference-best 8-0 and lowered his earned run average to 1.17 after striking out six over eight innings, while yielding just two unearned runs and three hits. Place, Pittman and DiNorcia each finished the game with two hits, while Pittman drove in two runs and DiNorcia scored twice. Michael Charest took the loss after tossing just one and two-thirds innings and allowing four runs (three earned), while walking five and giving up two hits.
 
The Owls struck first in the nightcap with a run on one hit in the first inning as Criscuolo tripled with two outs and scored on a wild pitch.

Le Moyne took the lead in the second with three runs on four hits. Walsh led off with a single and advanced to third on a double to left by Pittman. DiNorcia then singled through the left side to knock in Walsh. Freshman second baseman Michael Smith (Montebello, N.Y./Suffern) followed with a single to left field to plate Pittman. After moving to third on a groundout, DiNorcia scored on a groundout to the second baseman by Corapi.

The Dolphins scored four times in the fourth on six hits. Redshirt junior catcher Matt Buroni (Marlborough, Mass./Marlborough) singled up the middle and Corapi doubled to right to start the frame. Cox followed with a single to drive in Buroni. After a fly out moved each runner up a base, Place singled through the left side to knock in Corapi. Cox then scored on a single to left by Walsh. Place recorded the final run of the inning on a single to left by DiNorcia.

The Owls scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth on four hits. Giordano singled to left with one out, stole second and took third on a single to left center by center fielder Griffin Garabedian. After an out, left fielder Nick Lamberti singled down the left field line to drive in Giordano. Criscuolo then smacked a three-run homer to left field to get the Owls within 7-5.

Le Moyne got one run back in the sixth on two hits. Place walked, Walsh singled and Pittman singled to load the bases without any outs. Following a strikeout, Smith walked to force in Place.

The Dolphins pushed across three runs in the seventh on three hits. Cox doubled to left to start the inning and scored on a one-out double down the left field line by Place. After a pitching change and a walk by Walsh, Pittman singled to left to drive in Place and Walsh.

Le Moyne completed the day's scoring with a run on two hits in the ninth. Cox singled to left, stole second and scored on a single to right center by Place.

Senior reliever Alex Kubera (Dunkirk, N.Y./Dunkirk/Niagara C.C.) earned his third win of the season after going four and one-third innings out of the bullpen, while yielding four runs and striking out three. Walsh tied his career high with four hits, while Cox, Place and Pittman each had three and DiNorcia and Smith posted two hits and two RBI each. Samuel Nepiarsky suffered the loss after giving up seven runs and 11 hits over three and two-thirds innings.

Le Moyne (26-9-1, 12-3-1 NE10, 8-2 SW), which has swept seven of its 12 doubleheaders, completes its three-game series with the Owls on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. The contest is Le Moyne's final road conference game of the season as the final seven conference games will take place in Syracuse.