Syracuse, N.Y. — The Le Moyne baseball team swept a doubleheader with University of Maryland Eastern Shore on Friday afternoon at Dick Rockwell Field. The Dolphins claimed a 6-2 victory in game one before a six-run bottom of the sixth inning propelled Le Moyne to a 14-11 victory over the Hawks in game two.
With the two victories, along with Stonehill dropping both ends of a doubleheader at LIU, the Dolphins take a 1.5 game lead over Stonehill and a 2.5 game lead over Norfolk State for the fourth and final berth in the NEC Championship with four games remaining. Le Moyne's magic number to clinch a berth in the NEC Championship is a combination of three Le Moyne wins and Stonehill losses and two Le Moyne wins and Norfolk State losses. LIU and FDU have clinched two spots and Wagner has a hold on the third spot currently.
Game One:
Five different players recorded an RBI for the Dolphins, led by freshman third baseman
Isaac Brozon (
Aurora, N.Y./Southern Cayuga), who drove in one run on a team-high three hits. Senior shortstop
Adam Sullivan (
Syracuse, N.Y./Marcellus) drove in one run on two hits, including a double, and scored twice and senior center fielder
Paulie Goodness (
Palmyra, N.Y./Palmyra-Macedon/Finger Lakes Community College) added an RBI on two hits and walked once. Sophomore catcher
Robert Wegrzyn (
North Tonawanda, N.Y./Niagara-Wheatfield) recorded an RBI and walked twice, and junior designated hitter
Chaz Anthony (
Liverpool, N.Y./Liverpool) drove in a run on a sacrifice fly.
Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher
AJ Petraitis (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) made the start for Le Moyne, pitching 7.0 innings of work, allowing one run, striking out three batters and recording his fifth win of the season. Senior right-hander
Luke Connors (
Brampton, Ontario/Heart Lake/Monroe Community College) finished the final 2.0 innings on the mound, allowing one run, striking out two batters and earning his fifth save of the season.
UMES began the scoring on a solo shot by right fielder Darrius Brown to lead off the top of the fourth inning, giving the Hawks a 1-0 lead.
Sullivan lined a double to left field to begin the bottom of the fourth and advanced to third on a groundout. Wegrzyn then walked before Anthony lined a sacrifice fly to center field, allowing Sullivan to score and tying the game at 1-1.
Junior second baseman
Mike Whelehan (Hilton, N.Y./Hilton) walked to lead off the bottom of the fifth and back-to-back bunt singles by Goodness and Brozon loaded the bases for the Dolphins. The next batter was retired before a fielder's choice by Sullivan brought Whelehan home to put Le Moyne in front 2-1. Junior first baseman
Cooper Romich (
North Chili, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) then worked a two-out walk to load the bases and an RBI walk by Wegrzyn made it 3-1. Anthony then reached on a fielding error, allowing Sullivan to score and making it a 4-1 game.
The Dolphins put runners on first and second with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, and back-to-back RBI singles up the middle by Goodness and Brozon made it a 6-1 game.
Third baseman Chrisitian Azcona led off the top of the ninth with a solo shot to right center, making it 6-2. The next batter grounded out before second baseman Jonathan Rodriguez singled through the left side. Connors got the next two batters to fly out to complete the 6-2 victory for Le Moyne.
Game Two:
Six different players drove in runs for the Dolphins, led by Whelehan who had four RBIs on two hits, including a three-run homer for his first of the season, walked twice and stole one base. Junior right fielder
Jack Cannon (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) drove in two runs on two hits, including a solo shot for his team-leading ninth home run of the season, walked once and stole one base. Goodness also had two RBIs on two hits and added a stolen base. Anthony drove in a run on two hits, walked once and reached on a hit-by-pitch, and Sullivan and Romich each added an RBI.
Freshman right-hander
Luke VanMarter (
Jamesville, N.Y./Jamesville-DeWitt) made the start for Le Moyne, pitching 6.0 innings of work, allowing four runs, striking out five batters and registering his third win of the season. Redshirt sophomore right-hander
Eric Swiencicki (
Lancaster, N.Y./St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute) was the second of two relievers for the Dolphins, allowing one earned run over the final 1.2 innings.
Cannon lined a two-out solo homer down the left field line in the bottom of the first inning to give Le Moyne an early 1-0 lead.
Catcher Jonathan Gonzalez lifted a two-run homer to left center in the top of the fourth inning to put the Hawks in front 2-1.
Wegrzyn and Anthony lined back-to-back two-out singles in the bottom of the fourth and Whelehan sent a three-run shot over the left field wall to put the Dolphins ahead 4-2.
Brozon reached on an infield single to begin the bottom of the fifth inning. An overthrow on a failed pickoff attempt allowed Brozon to advance to third base, and an RBI infield single by Cannon made it a 5-2 game. The RBI is Cannon's 56th of the season, which ties him for the fifth-most in a season by a Dolphin in the program's history and tied for the fourth-most in Division I action. Cannon then stole second before Romich laced an RBI single into left field to make it 6-2. A wild pitch allowed Romich to advance to second base. Wegrzyn then lined a single into left field and an error in the outfield allowed Romich to score, making it a 7-2 game.
Three singles loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the sixth inning for the Hawks and a two-run single into left center by Rodriguez made it 7-4.
Singles by Goodness and Brozon and a walk by Cannon loaded the bases for the Dolphins with no outs in the bottom of the sixth. Sullivan then lifted a sacrifice fly down the left field line to make it 8-4. Romich was hit by a pitch to load the bases again and a balk brought Brozon home, putting Le Moyne in front 9-4. The next batter was retired before Anthony was hit-by-pitch to reload the bases, and an RBI walk by Whelehan made it a 10-4 game. Freshman left fielder
Nick Kriegelstein (
Farmington, N.Y./Victor) then reached on a fielding error, which allowed Romich to score and Goodness followed with a two-run single up the middle to give the Dolphins a 13-4 advantage.
Three singles loaded the bases for the Hawks with one out in the top of the seventh and a fielder's choice by Brown allowed a run to score, making it 13-5. Designated hitter Henry Clausell was hit by a pitch to reload the bases and back-to-back RBI walks by Azcona and Rodriguez made it 13-7.
Anthony lined a two-out RBI single into left field in the bottom of the seventh to put the Dolphins in front 14-7.
The Hawks loaded the bases with one out in the top of the eighth inning and an RBI walk by Brown made it 14-8. Clausell followed with a two-run single to right center and a sacrifice fly into center field by Azcona made it 14-11.
Swiencicki worked around a two-out single to finish off a scoreless top of the ninth inning and complete the 14-11 victory for the Dolphins.
Le Moyne and University of Maryland Eastern Shore will finish the series on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. The eight members of the senior class will be honored by the Dolphin Athletic Association at 12:45 p.m.
