Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College baseball team erased an early 4-0 deficit to claim a 6-4 victory over the visiting Delaware State University Hornets on Saturday at Dick Rockwell Field in game two of a Northeast Conference series.
After taking game one on Friday by a score of 11-1, Le Moyne clinched the series victory on Saturday behind a great relief outing from redshirt-senior right-hander
Billy Hoffacker (Erial, N.J./Timber Creek/Rowan College of South Jersey) and two RBIs each from freshman infielder
Tim Denet (West Harrison, N.Y./Iona Prep) and sophomore outfielder
Jack Cannon (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder).
Le Moyne and Delaware State will conclude the series on Sunday with a 12:00 p.m. matchup at Dick Rockwell Field.
Hoffacker collected his second win of the season after limiting the Hornets to one hit, one walk and zero runs with a season-high five strikeouts over the final 4.0 innings on Saturday.
Denet launched his team-leading fifth home run of the season, a solo shot over the right field wall, and finished the contest with two hits, two RBIs and two walks, while Cannon also recorded two RBIs in addition to one hit, one walk, and one run.
Senior outfielder
Wyatt Patchett (Geneva, N.Y./Geneva) added two hits and one run, while junior infielder
Adam Sullivan (Syracuse, N.Y./Marcellus) drove in a run with his fourth double of the season, and junior outfielder
Paulie Goodness (Palmyra, N.Y./Palmyra-Macedon/Finger Lakes Community College) recorded a season-high three stolen bases to go along with two walks, one hit and one run.
As a team, the Dolphins recorded six stolen bases on six attempts during the win, which is tied for the most they have recorded in a game this season.
Redshirt-sophomore right-handed starting pitcher
AJ Petraitis (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) recorded a career-high eight strikeouts with one walk and four runs allowed in 5.0 innings of work during his eighth start of the season. The 13 combined strikeouts from Petraitis and Hoffacker marks the most that Le Moyne has tallied in a game this season.
Delaware State scored all four of their runs in the top of the second inning. Designated hitter Sebastian Paz and center fielder Brady Daniels led off the inning with back-to-back singles, then first baseman Justin Batts drew a walk to load the bases. Petraitis responded by retiring the next two hitters via strikeout, but right fielder Hassan Turner ripped a bases-clearing double into the left-center field gap to put the Hornets in front, 3-0. Turner then came around to score on a double from shortstop Jabril Bullock to make it 4-0.
Denet got Le Moyne on the board with a solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the fourth. Senior catcher
Benji Ries (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Aldai E. Stevenson) then drew a walk and came around to score all the way from first base on a double from Sullivan in the left-center field gap.
Petraitis recorded two more strikeouts during a scoreless top of the fifth, then Le Moyne added a run in the bottom of the frame via an RBI single from Cannon that brought in Patchett.
Le Moyne loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, but DSU left-handed starting pitcher Eddie Del Valle got a fly ball to get out of the jam and maintain the Hornets' one-run lead.
The Dolphins pulled ahead in the bottom of the seventh with a sacrifice fly from junior outfielder
Tyler Campbell (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill/Onondaga C.C.) that scored Goodness, and an RBI single from Denet that scored Cannon.
Hoffacker stranded a runner on second base during a scoreless top of the eighth, then Le Moyne added an insurance run in the bottom of the frame via a sacrifice fly from Cannon that scored sophomore infielder
Mike Whelehan (Hilton, N.Y./Hilton).
Hoffacker then recorded two strikeouts during a 1-2-3 top of the ninth to close out the win and secure the series victory.
Le Moyne improves to 10-4 in NEC play with the win, and will have the chance to claim their third conference series sweep of the season with a win on Sunday.
