PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Albertus Magnus College baseball team suffered a doubleheader sweep at the hands of Johnson & Wales University (RI) on Wednesday afternoon at the Scotts Miracle-Gro Athletic Complex. 

THE BASICS - G1
FINAL SCORE: Johnson & Wales 11 | Albertus Magnus  2
MEETING: This is the 66th and 67th all-time meeting between the Falcons and Wildcats.
LOCATION: Scotts Miracle-Gro Athletic Complex
BOX SCORE

HOW IT HAPPENED 

The Falcons came out swinging in the first inning when Brandon Clark (Cheshire, Conn.) ripped a single down the right-field line to start things off. A walk to Matt Warren (Wolcott, Conn.) and a passed ball put runners on second and third with one out, before Wildcats starter Dane DellaValle retired the next two hitters to end the inning. 

Falcons starter, fifth-year senior Jay Palais (Farmington, Conn.), retired the Wildcats easily in the first, striking out three, with the only baserunner coming via a walk to Jack Magane. 

Sophomore Jason Sullivan (Meriden, Conn.) led off the second inning with a rocket double over the centerfielder's head. Alex Kozlowski (Shelton, Conn.) followed with a hard single through the 5-6 hole to put runners on the corners for the visitors with no outs. Dellavalle spun a wild pitch into the dirt, scoring Sullivan from third and sending Kozlowski to second. Nhasean Murphy (Manchester, Conn.) followed with a walk before DellaValle retired the next two hitters to end the inning. 

Palais continued to battle in the second inning, striking out Joe Maracic for the first out. The Wildcats answered with back-to-back hits, including a home run to left field to take the 2-1 lead. The Falcons were able to wriggle out of the jam on the strength of a pop-out and a batter's interference call. 

Albertus retaliated in the third, as Justen Rodriguez (Waterbury, Conn.) launched a one-out double to the wall in centerfield and promptly scored when Eduardo Pena (Hamden, Conn.) reached first on a fielding error by the first baseman. A Sullivan single put runners on first and second before a Kozlowski fielder's choice put runners on the corners with two outs. DellaValle recorded a strikeout to end the inning and send the teams into the bottom of the third, with the score tied at 2. 

The Wildcats continued to swing the bat in the bottom of the third, scoring another pair of runs on the strength of three hits and some defensive miscues by the Falcons to take the 4-2 lead, and chase Palais from the game. Dan DeBartolomeo (Fairfield, Conn.) replaced Palais on the hill and retired the first batter he faced for the final out of the inning.  

Despite a laser beam single from Murphy into right field to lead off the fourth, the Falcons were unable to tally a run and the teams transitioned to the bottom of the frame. The Wildcats added an insurance run in the bottom of the fourth, after an error by the Falcon defense. The hosts followed with an RBI double to the wall in centerfield, before DeBartolomeo slammed the door, recording the final two outs to keep the Falcons within striking distance.   

Down 5-2 in the top of the fifth, Albertus tried to spark the offense but were unable to get anything going against DellaValle, with a walk to Rodriguez the only Falcon baserunner. 

The Wildcats threatened again in the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases with two outs. A bases-loaded walk scored the RBI before Nick Kownack (Schenectady, N.Y.) replaced DeBartolomeo on the hill and induced a fly-out to center field to end the inning. 

The Falcons continued to struggle at the dish, going down in order in the top of the sixth. The Wildcats added to their lead in the bottom of the sixth, hanging a five-spot on the board and taking a commanding 11-2 advantage heading into the final inning.                       

Albertus tried to get the offense going in the top of the seventh, as a Warren walk and a Rodriguez single put two on with one out. Unfortunately for the visitors, JWU got out of the jam with back-to-back outs to end the game.

TOP PERFORMERS

• WP: Dane DellaValle (W, 1-1) | LP: Jay Palais (L, 0-1)
• Albertus was led offensively by Rodriguez, who went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and a run scored.
• Sullivan also tallied two hits with a double and a run.
• Bessler led the Wildcats with a homer, three RBI, and two runs scored.

THE BASICS - G2
FINAL SCORE: Johnson & Wales 15 | Albertus Magnus 7
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (3-9, 2-8 GNAC) | Johnson & Wales (7-9, 5-1)
LOCATION: Scotts Miracle-Gro Athletic Complex
BOX SCORE

HOW IT HAPPENED
After 1.5 innings of scoreless baseball, that action finally picked up in the bottom of the second frame. With runners on second and third and two outs, JWU's Colby Greenhalgh turned on a pitch and sent it over the left-field fence to give the home team a 3-0 advantage.

The Falcons answered in the top of the third inning with three runs to knot the score. Rodriguez started the push with an RBI double to plate Warren from first. Rodriguez was driven home two batters later with an RBI groundout from Pena. The final run of the frame came off the bat of Caden Cloutier (Wallingford, Conn.), who plated Sullivan from second with a single.

However, the game did not stay tied for long, as the Wildcats added eight runs in the bottom of the third to take a commanding 11-3 advantage.

Albertus added one run in the fourth to cut its deficit to 11-4. The run was supplied by Murphy's speed on the bases. The junior speedster walked and then stole second and third base to be in prime scoring position. Warren brought Murphy home with a single to right-center.

JWU answered the Falcons' surge in the fourth with four runs to continue to add to its lead, now sitting at 15-4. The Wildcats recorded four runs on five hits with one three-run homer.

Pena added his second RBI of the game in the top of the fifth inning with a bomb over the left-field fence to the score to 15-5.

The Falcons added two more runs in the top of the sixth inning to further cut its deficit to 15-7. Sullivan doubled in a pair of runs, plating both Rodriguez and Warren.

However, Sullivan's RBIs were the last of the game as the Wildcats held on to pick up the sweep.

TOP PERFORMERS
• WP: Kyle Cutler (W, 1-3) | LP: Tyler Baldwin (L, 0-1)
• Warren led the Falcons offense, going 2-for-2 with two walks, two runs scored, and an RBI.
• Rodriguez and Sullivan also had two hits, with the latter also tallying two RBIs.
• Pena hit a two-run homer, his first of the season.
• Greenhalgh paced the Wildcats with a 3-for-5 performance with a homer, and four RBIs.