‘Phins baseball didn’t need luck on Saturday to secure the win
Allison Case, Staff Writer
March 22, 2012
Filed under Sports
The Le Moyne College baseball team has started off its spring in the right way. On St. Patrick’s Day, the team defeated Philadelphia University 6-5 and again 9-2 in a doubleheader, bringing their record to 11-4 for the season.
Despite having to miss celebrating St. Patrick’s Day on campus, these two wins proved the Dolphins have what it takes to make this season great.
The day-time game began with a shaky start, as the Philadelphia University Rams scored three runs without recording a hit in the inning. Most of the runners got on base and scored by walks and wild pitches.
However, the Dolphins settled down and finally began to grasp the momentum. The top of the second saw the Dolphins score five unearned runs. The bases were loaded with junior Brian Stinson, senior Matthew Ciraco and junior Kody O’Connor due to two walks and a hit by pitch.
Junior second baseman Vincent Redmond took advantage of a shortstop error to allow Stinson to score, marking the first run of the game. Senior center fielder Brett Botsford came next with the bases still loaded and made the Rams pay for their mistakes by blasting a grand slam to increase the Dolphins’ lead. The Dolphins tacked on another run in the sixth with senior Matt Marra’s RBI single.
The Rams tried to inch their way back into the game, scoring another run in the fourth and fifth innings, but the Dolphin’s pitching proved to be unhittable. Junior right-hander Casey Cannon earned the victory by pitching five innings out of the bullpen, registering two strikeouts. Fellow classmate and junior Kevin Carroll came on in the sixth inning and retired the next four batters to finish the game, earning his first save in the process.
Just hours later, the Dolphins began another game and continued to score runs. Being down 1-0 after the first inning, the Dolphins responded with six runs in the second inning, taking the lead for good.
In the second inning, Ciraco and O’Connor pulled off a double steal to set up the first run of the game, which was scored off of an error. Freshman Max Nagelsmith kept the game going with a single to plate O’Connor and ultimately give the Dolphins the lead. Juniors Zack Wiley and Ryan Mahoney also recorded RBIs in the inning to bring the lead to 6-1.
Philadelphia fought back, by scoring one run on a sacrifice fly in the third inning. Le Moyne answered right back by scoring one run on three hits in the bottom frame. Senior catcher Kyle Kalaka singled and eventually came around to score on a double by Wiley.
Le Moyne scored two more runs in the fifth inning to solidify the victory on a two-run single by Mahoney.
The real story of the day was senior pitcher Ed Kohout’s performance in the nightcap. He pitched a complete game with nine strikeouts. He is now 2-0 as a starter for the Dolphins this season.
The Dolphins’ first home doubleheader will be this Saturday, March 24, against Merrimack at 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.