Baseball wins again
Allison Case, Staff Writer
March 29, 2012
Filed under Sports, Top Stories
The temperatures may have cooled after a week of summery weather, but the Le Moyne College baseball team stayed hot in their home opener of the 2012 season.
Defeating the Merrimack Warriors on Saturday, March 24, 11-2 and 10-0 in a well-played doubleheader, the Dolphins continued their winning streak, boasting a 15-4 record.
The first home game of the season was played in front of a crowded set of bleachers and many extras lounging on the side hill. That was enough support to bring Le Moyne to victory.
Le Moyne started off the scoring with an RBI double by junior Zach Wiley, scoring Brett Botsford to give the Dolphins the 1-0 lead. Merrimack answered right back, scoring one run on two hits in the top of the second inning.
However, the Dolphins scored again and never looked back. Plating four runs on three hits in the bottom of the third inning, the rally started out with senior Matt Marra’s RBI single to score Wiley. The hits kept coming as junior catcher Brian Stinson singled through the left side to plate Marra.
Sophomore Pat Wiese then blasted a two-run home run to left field, bringing in the final two runs of the inning. This game versus Merrimack was Wiese’s first game back from a hamstring injury earlier this season.
In the fourth inning, the Dolphins extended their lead to 7-2 on an RBI single by Wiley and a sacrifice fly by Marra.
As the game continued, the Dolphins did not stop their scoring. Senior Brett Botsford drilled a solo home run in the sixth inning and the seventh inning saw a two-run single by junior Paul Speicher, scoring senior Matt Ciraco and Weise for a 10-2 lead. In the eighth, freshman Max Nagelsmith drove a single up the middle to plate Botsford and end the Dolphins scoring in the game.
Senior Mike Anarumo pitched a stellar game, striking out nine batters and only allowing two hits while giving up two runs. He is 2-0 on the season after his excellent performance against Merrimack. Junior right-hander Casey Cannon took over in the sixth inning, tossing three complete innings and earning his first save. Despite being Wiese’s first game back, his three hits and two RBIs in the game proved he is a major asset to the team.
The second game saw the Dolphins quickly jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning on three hits and an error. Speicher hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to score the first run. Senior Kyle Kalaka drove in Ciraco by reaching on an error. The final run in the inning was plated by a Botsford single with two outs.
The fifth inning proved to be an offensive explosion, as the Dolphins scored seven runs on seven hits. Marra started off by scorching an RBI single through the right side, plating Botsford. Ryan Mahoney lifted a sacrifice fly to score the second run of the inning.
The big blow came from Ciraco, who blasted a two-run home run in the inning. Junior Vincent Redmond’s sacrifice fly plated Wiese. Wiley and Botsford both added singles to cap off the scoring.
Senior Ed Kohout pitched seven innings without giving up a run. He gave up only four hits, while striking out four batters in his performance. Kohout is now 3-0 as a starter for the Dolphins this season.
The 15-4 Dolphins look to keep up their current nine-game win streak as they take on Post and Adelphi next week.