Stellar starting pitching by Jeff Oster and a 10-run first inning lifted the nationally-ranked Salisbury Sea Gulls over the Albertus Magnus baseball team 24-0 (seven innings) on Friday afternoon in non-conference play.
With the win, the No. 6 Sea Gulls improve to 10-2 on the year and are now 9-2 when playing on their home field. Albertus falls to 1-6 on the year with the loss.
Salisbury scored 10 runs on 11 hits in the opening frame to jump out to a 10-0 early lead. The Sea Gulls scored eight runs with two outs, including five which were unearned.
Sophomore Mike Barillaro (Meriden, Conn.) started on the hill for the Falcons but came out of the game after facing 12 batters and giving up nine hits in the first inning, including a two-run home run to Salisbury's Nick Gentry. For Gentry, it was his first home run of the season.
After a 1-2-3 second inning, Salisbury threatened once again in the third as a base hit by Evan Graci loaded the bases with one out. A single thru the left side of the infield plated another Salisbury run before Albertus senior Matthew Finkenzeller (Wolcott, Conn.) was pulled from the ballgame. Finkenzeller gave up five hits and one run in 1.2 innings of work.
Salisbury added more runs in the third inning as a hit batter forced a run across the plate before a bases clearing double by Matt Cuervo gave the Sea Gulls a 15-0 lead. An RBI triple by Bobby Sanzone put the Sea Gulls ahead 16-0 to cap a six-run third inning.
The Sea Gulls added four runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to take a 21-0 lead before three more runs in the sixth.
Salisbury's Jeff Oster retired 15-straight Falcons to open the contest before he was taken out of the game prior to the sixth inning. Connor Shockley took the hill for the Sea Gulls and allowed the first Falcon on base as Jack Pritchard (Orange, Conn.) recorded Albertus' first hit of the ballgame with a single to left.
Oster finished the day with five strikeouts in five innings as he left the mound amidst a perfect game.
Freshman Arber Mehmedi (Naugatuck, Conn.) registered the Falcons' second single of the ballgame with a pinch hit in the seventh inning.
Five Falcons came out of the bullpen in today's contest.
Albertus will next play at Mount St. Mary (N.Y.) College on Wednesday, March 20 in a single non-conference match-up. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.