New Haven, Conn. – The Albertus Magnus College baseball team finished the regular season with a 13-20 overall record and earned the No. 5 seed in the upcoming Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament thanks to a 6-8 mark in league action.
The Falcons open post-season play on Tuesday, May 3, with a road contest against fourth-seeded Johnson & Wales at 6:00 pm in Providence. The winning team will advance to Thursday's double-elimination portion of the tournament and square off with No. 1 seed Saint Joseph's (Maine) in the Pine Tree State.
During the regular season, the Wildcats took both ends of a doubleheader in the Ocean State versus Albertus Magnus. JWU took the opener, 5-2, and scored a 20-3 triumph in the nightcap. Over the course of the doubleheader, Johnson & Wales took advantage of eight Falcon errors. Ten different pitchers toed the rubber for AMC in the twinbill. The Wildcats enter the midweek matinee riding a four-game winning streak against Albertus Magnus.
The Falcons enter the post-season coming off a doubleheader split with Suffolk in GNAC play over the weekend. Albertus Magnus is making its 19 appearance (sixth straight) in the GNAC Tournament and are in search of the third conference title in program history. AMC is 16-21 all-time in the event and the squad is looking to win a GNAC Tournament game for the first time since 2009. Johnson & Wales holds a 7-5 advantage in the GNAC Tournament meetings.
Senior infielder Justin Poirier (Meriden, Conn.) has paced the offensive attack for the Falcons this spring, appearing in all 33 games and batting .333 out of the three-hole. Poirier leads the team in hits (37), extra-base hits (16), doubles (3), home runs (2) and RBIs (24). Earlier this spring, he became the 14th player in program history to record 100 career hits. Classmate Tyler Robertson (Cheshire, Conn.) is batting .292 this season with 14 RBIs and a team-high 22 runs scored. Seniors Mike Saia (Bridgeport, Conn.) and Ted Gravel (Morris, Conn.) are the other big bats in the Falcon lineup. The duo has combined for 15 extra-base hits and 34 RBIs. On the base paths, freshman speedster Tyriq Harris (Waterbury, Conn.) has stolen seven bases, while Gravel and Robertson have swiped six bags apiece.
On the mound, junior reliever Tom Moore (East Haven, Conn.) has a team-leading 4-21 earned run average in 25 and two-thirds innings of work. He was gone 2-1 in 12 appearances. Junior starter Christopher Rivera (New Britain, Conn.) has stepped up as the team's No. 1 pitcher over the last two weeks. Rivera is 2-3 with a 4.70 ERA in a team-best 44 innings of work. Junior Michael Terzi (Wallingford, Conn.), classmate Jon Criscio (East Haven, Conn.) and freshman Malachi Emond (Coventry, Conn.) have all contributed on the bump for the Falcons this year.
Defensively, Albertus Magnus has turned 21 double plays this season to go along with a team fielding percentage of .931. Falcon catchers have thrown out 12 runners attempting to steal this year and have committed 75 errors in 33 games.
For the latest information on the baseball team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.
2016 GNAC Baseball Tournament
First Round - Tuesday, May 3 (single elimination)
Game 1: #6 Rivier at #3 Lasell - 7PM (at Brandeis)
Game 2: #5 Albertus Magnus at #4 Johnson & Wales - 6PM
Second Round - Thursday, May 5 (double-elimination begins)
Game 3: Game 1 winner at #2 Suffolk
Game 4: Game 2 winner at #1 Saint Joseph's Maine
Semifinals - Saturday, May 7 (Hosted by Johnson & Wales)
Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser (elimination game)
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs Game 4 winner
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 loser (elimination game)
Championship - Sunday, May 8 (Hosted by Johnson & Wales)
Game 8: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner
Game 9: if necessary
