WESTCONN ENDS SOUTHERN TRIP WITH WINS OVER BETHANY AND CROWN

FORT PIERCE, FL – (March 21) –  Miles Scribner pitched eight strong innings and picked up his first win of the season as the Western Connecticut State University baseball team defeated Bethany College of West Virginia, 6-1 in the first of two games on the final day of its southern trip at the Fort Pierce Sports Complex.  The Colonials came back in the afternoon and blanked Crown College, 13-0 and will head back to Connecticut on Saturday with a 6-7 record.

Scribner allowed one run on six hits while striking out five and walking just one and improved to 1-0 on the young season.

In the WestConn second, Rob Bedard grounded into a double play and pushed Matt Perper across with the Colonials first run.  Perper led off the inning by being hit by a pitch.

The Colonials went up 2-0 in the top half of the fifth inning when Jeff Gordon lined a sacrifice fly to straight away center field and drove Pat Kantor in.  Kantor opened the inning with a double down the right field line and moved over to third on a wild pitch by Bethany starter Josh Eckelberger.

In the Bethany fifth, the Bison threatened, but the inning ended when Dan Amarante gunned down Milton Joyner at the plate.  Joyner tried to score from second base on a single by Tyler Dillinger.

In the top of the seventh, WestConn tacked on two more runs on RBI single from Rob Bedard and Zach Dandrea.

The Colonials added two insurance runs in the eight when they strung together three straight singles.  Kantor had and RBI and Amarante scored on an error by second baseman Tony Talotta.

Scribner loaded the bases to open up the eighth inning but escaped with only giving up one run on a fielder’s choice ground out by pinch hitter R. J. Faldowski.  Faldowski’s ground out plated Nick Czapor, who led off the frame with a double.

Joe Postemsky came on in the ninth for the Colonials.  He loaded the bases but got out of the jam without yielding a run.

Against Crown College, WestConn put three runs on the scoreboard in the third inning without getting a hit.  John DiGiovanni Matt Inzitari and John Callahan each scored a run as they reach on a pair of walks and an error, respectively.

The Colonials loaded the bases again in the fourth inning, but were only able to come away with one run.  Sam McNeil line out to left center field, moving DiGiovanni in from third.  DiGiovanni led off the inning with a double to the gap in left.

With one out in the seventh, WestConn loaded the bases again.  This time it plated three runs, two coming following a two-run single by DiGiovanni.  The third came around when his hit was misplayed in right field by Winston Mullet.

DiGiovanni finished the day with three hits in four official plate appearances.  McNeil went two-for-five and had three RBI.

WestConn added an unearned run in the eighth.  McNeil came around to score after hitting a one-out double over the left fielder’s head.  Five more runs came across in the ninth and the score grew to 13-0.

Ryan Dilts evens his record at 1-1 after going seven innings.  He allowed three hits and had two strike outs on the day.  Jeff Hancock and Josh Murray worked a scoreless eighth and ninth inning, respectively.

Josh Cleveland (0-2) took the loss for the Storm, now 0-4.

WESTCONN’S MATT GARDINER COLLECTS 100TH CAREER HIT

FORT PIERCE, FL – (March 20) –  Senior catcher Matt Gardiner collected his 100th career hit in the nightcap of the Western Connecticut State University baseball team’s doubleheader against New Paltz on Thursday afternoon at the Fort Pierce Sports Complex.  He finished going four-for-five but the Colonials dropped a pair to the Hawks, 3-2 and 10-9 in eight innings.

In the opener, Jon Shanks improved to 2-1 on the season after scattering seven hits while striking out eight and walking none for the Hawks.

Steve Bainer had his most impressive outing as a Colonial.  He allowed just seven hits, struck out five and did not allow a walk.  He falls to 0-2 on the young season.

New Paltz got on the scoreboard first with two runs in the bottom of the third.  Tyler Terlecky and Joel Judson had run-scoring singles for the Hawks.

WestConn came right back and made the score 2-1 when Jeff Gordon drove Nick Ross home with a single to left field.

Kevin Paino scored in the bottom half of the fourth after leading off with a single to left field off starter Steve Bainer.  He stole the Hawks fifth base of the game then came around to score on a hit by Rob Helf.

The Colonials threatened in the seventh inning when Rob Bedard got his first RBI of the season with a deep drive to center field.  The sacrifice fly plated Gordon, who led off the inning with a single. 

Gordon finished the game with a pair of single in three trips to the plate.  Zach Dandrea was the only other WestConn player with two hits as he went two-for-three.

In the second game, Gardiner collected his 100th career hit in his first at bat with a run-scoring single in the bottom half of the first inning to give the Colonials a 1-0 lead.

New Paltz came back with three runs, two of them earned, in the top half of the second inning. Rob Helf and Javy Lopez had RBIs in the frame.  The Hawks added another run in the third inning.  It too was unearned, when Devin Scalabrini scored on a single by Doug Chaputian.

The Colonials knotted the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the third.  Matt Perper had an RBI single and Pat Kantor laced a two-run triple to the wall in right center, plating Gardiner and Perper.

The Hawks took the lead, 5-4 with another unearned run.  Terlecky drove in Jesse Marsh from second base after WestConn starter Joe Mangano had him picked off first base.  Perper couldn’t get the ball out of his glove and Marsh advanced to second base.

The Colonials put a three spot on the board in the fourth inning.  Ryan Koschmieder, Ross and Gardiner each had an RBI in the frame and chased New Paltz starter Joel Judson from the game. 

Gardiner continued his hot back in the fifth, hitting his second double of the game and driving in two more runs to give the Colonials a 9-5 advantage.

Alex Cadmus had a run-scoring single in the sixth inning to bring the Hawks within three runs, 9-6.  Kevin Paino belted a triple by a diving Ryan Kantor in right field to plate Cadmus.  Paino’s hit chased Mangano. 

Mangano finished the day allowing 10 hits, eight runs, four of them earned while striking out five and walking two.  Jeff Hancock came on in relief of Mangano and struck out Helf with the bases loaded.

New Paltz tied the game in the top half of the seventh when Cadmus delivered a single to right field, scoring Marsh.  Marsh led off the inning being hit by a pitch from Perper.

WestConn went down in order in the seventh to send the game into extra innings.

The Hawks scored what proved to be the winning run in the top of the eight with yet another unearned run. Chapatian reached on an error by Dandrea and was moved over by a sacrifice by Lopez.  Marsh recorded his second RBI of the afternoon with a single to left field.

Reliever and winner Jeff Smith struck out the last two batters to earn the victory for New Paltz, now 9-2.  Postemsky took the loss and falls to 1-1 on the season.

BASEBALL SWEEPS CARLETON, 7-5 AND 11-3…  IMPROVE TO 4-5

FORT PIERCE, FL – (March 19) –  The Western Connecticut State University baseball team improved to 4-5 on the season with a doubleheader sweep of Carleton College on Wednesday night.  The Colonials captured the opener 7-5 then exploded for an 11-3 win in the nightcap at the Fort Pierce Sports Complex.

In the opener, senior tri-captain Matt Perper came on in the bottom of the seventh inning to register his first save of the season.  With runners on first and second and one out, Carleton right fielder Cameron M-Hyman laced a line drive to center field for the second out.  The Colonials Zach Dandrea stepped on second base on a live-ball appeal and caught Russ Fujisawa leaving early trying to advance to third base, ending the first game.

WestConn raced out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the third inning following RBI singles by Matt Perper and Nick Ross. 

Its lead grew to 5-1 in the top of the sixth inning when Dandrea grounded out to second but pushed Dan Amarante across.  Amarante entered the game earlier in the inning as a pinch runner for Ross.

WestConn starter Billy Armstrong pitched well before running into trouble in the sixth.  In five and one-third innings, Armstrong allowed five runs, three of them earned on five hits while striking out three and walking four.  Joe Postemsky, who was credited with a blown save, settle down and earned the win after coming on for Armstrong.  He allowed three hits over one frame before yielding to Perper with one out in the seventh.

Sam McNeil, Rob Bedard and Perper each had two hits to lead the Colonials offense in game one. McNeill scored two runs and Perper drove a pair in.

 Melson was the only Carleton player with multiple hits, going two-for-four with a run scored.

Jake Riss (0-1) took the loss after coming on in relief in the sixth inning.  He gave up two runs on one hit after replacing Geoff King.

In the nightcap, the first six WestConn batters of the game scored and it sprinted to a 6-0 advantage.  It tacked on three more runs in the second and never looked back.

Alex Zancan registered his first collegiate victory and is now 1-0 on the season after going five strong innings.  He gave up seven hits, struck out eight and walked only one. 

Multiple hitters for the Colonials in game two included; Matt Gardiner, Mike Baccaro, and Ross    Baccaro drove in three runs while Gardiner drove in a pair of runs.

David Ames and Doug Sylvester had two hits each for Carleton. 

Zach Miller took the loss for the Knights, now 3-2.

WESTCONN DROPS 14-11 DECISION TO WESTMINSTER

FORT PIERCE, FL - (March 17) - Freshman second baseman Zach Dandrea (Wanaque, NJ) belted a pair of two-run home runs and the Colonials pounded out 14 hits but it was not enough offense as the Western Connecticut State University baseball team dropped a 14-11 decision to Westminster College on Monday afternoon at the Fort Pierce Sports Complex.

Westminster came back from a 4-0 first-inning deficit with seven runs in the bottom half of the second inning and never trailed from there.  Five of the seven runs credited to WestConn starter and loser Ryan Dilts (North Plainfield, CT) in the second inning were unearned.  He went on to allow 10 hits while striking out one and walking three.

The Colonials trailed 14-7 before Dandrea put two runs on the scoreboard in the top half of the eighth and ninth innings.

Mike Busin led Westminster's offense going two-for-four with four RBI.  Dave Evans went two-for-four with a double and triple and an RBI.   David Colella had three RBI for the winners.

Kyle Gruszecki earned the victory after coming on in relief in the fifth inning.  He allowed two runs on five hits and walked three.

WestConn, which will tour the New York Mets spring training facility on Tuesday, next plays Carleton in a doubleheader on Wednesday.  First pitch is slated for 4 p.m.

WESTCONN SPLITS PAIR WITH GRINNELL COLLEGE

FORT PIERCE, FL - (March 16) - The Western Connecticut State University baseball team split a doubleheader against Grinnell College, taking the opener, 7-6 before dropping the nightcap, 13-9 at Fort Pierce Sports Complex Sunday afternoon.

In the opener, the Colonials scattered 13 hits including a pair of doubles by right fielder Pat Kantor.  His second double of the afternoon plated what proved to be the tying and game-winning runs in the top half of the seventh inning.  Kantor finished the game with three RBI, plating Nick Ross in the third inning with a sacrifice fly to deep center field.

Matt Perper (1-0), who had come on in relief in the sixth, earned his first victory of the season after allowing one unearned run on one hit, struck out one and walked two.

WestConn starter Miles Scribner pitched well allowing three unearned runs on two hits over four innings.  He struck out three and walked two.

In game two, Grinnell and the Colonials pounded out 13 hits each, but WestConn could not come back from a deep 8-3 deficit after an inning and a half.

Josh Vaghi took the loss after allowing seven runs on four hits and could not get out of the second inning.

Chad Takabuki earned the win for the Pioneers after allowing two unearned runs and striking out in two innings of relief. 

Robbie Unsell led the offensive attack with two doubles.  Ben Mendoza went three-for-four and had three RBI.

Sophomore Dan Amarante went three-for-four with a double and two RBI to pace the Colonials in the nightcap.  Matt Gardiner went two-for-four with a pair of RBI.

WestConn is scheduled for a single game with Westminster College on Monday afternoon.

JOE MANGANO GETS COLONIALS ON TRACK

FORT PIERCE - FL - (Saturday - March 15) - Sophomore lefty Joe Mangano (Stamford, CT) hurled six impressive innings and led the Western Connecticut State University baseball team to its first win of the season as the Colonials took the back end of a doubleheader split with Delaware Valley College (PA) at Fort Pierce Sports Complex Saturday afternoon.  The Aggies took the opener 12-1 but the Colonials grabbed the nightcap, 6-3.

Mangano (1-0), a transfer from Rockland Community College, went six strong innings and allowed three runs on five hits while striking out six and scattering four walks.  Sophomore Joe Postemsky (Windham, CT) earned his first save of the season after allowing just a harmless single in the bottom half of the seventh inning.

Junior tri-captain Nick Ross (Oakdale, CT) led WestConn's 10 hit attack by going three-for-three with two doubles and an RBI.  Matt Gardiner (Terryville, CT) had a run-scoring double and scored two runs for the winners.  Zach Dandrea (Wanaque, NJ) went two-for-three and drove in two runs in the Colonials' three-run second inning.

In the opener, Dan Metague (1-0) paced the Aggies with a strong performance on the hill.  He struck out 10 while allowing three hits and three walks.

Zach Jakubowski led DVC's hitting attack by going three-for-four with a triple and double and two RBI.

For WestConn, Steve Bainer (Prospect, CT) dropped to 0-1 on the season after allowing eight runs, six of them earned over four and one third innings. 

Ross started his fine day with a triple in the opener.

The Colonials play a twinbill against Grinnell on Sunday beginning at 12 noon.

WestConn Drops Opening Doubleheader to Ursinus

FORT PIERCE, FL (March 14) .—  The Western Connecticut State University baseball team opened the 2008 season with a doubleheader loss to Ursinus College at Indian River Community College on Thursday afternoon.

In the opener, senior catcher Matt Gardiner paced WestConn by going two for three with two doubles and an RBI.  Classmate Matt Perper went two for four and had two RBI including the go-ahead run in the top half of the sixth inning to give the Colonials a 7-6 advantage. 

Ursinus, tied the game at 7-7 in the bottom half of the inning when Scott Young singled down the left field line and drove in his fourth run of the game.  Two innings later, Ben Lockman, who led off the frame with a single past Perper at first base, scored an unearned run in the bottom of the eight off reliever and loser Josh Murray (0-1).

Brendan Evans led the Bears with a two-run home run in their four-run third inning in game one.

Ryan Koschmieder had a pair of hits, two-RBI double and scored a run in three at bats.

Pat Higgins (1-0) earned the victory after going the eighth inning and striking out two.

In the second game, Ursinus scattered 10 hits and took advantage of five Colonials' errors in a 13-1 victory.

For WestConn, Jeff Gordon went two for three and stole a base.  Sam McNeil drove in the lone run for the Colonials.  Gardiner continued his hot bat with a hit in three at bats.

Corey Weaver went six strong innings for Ursinus and improves to 2-0 on the young season.  He allowed three hits, had five strike outs and walked three.

Freshman Billy Armstrong took the loss after allowing five runs, four of the earned, over four innings while striking out three and walked three in his collegiate debut.

The Colonials play a doubleheader against Delaware Valley College on Saturday.  First pitch is slated for 12 noon.