NORTHFIELD, VT. - The Albertus Magnus College baseball team split a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) doubleheader with the Cadets of Norwich University on Friday afternoon at Garrity Field. The Cadets took game one by a final score of 4-0 before the Falcons turned around and secured the nightcap by a final score of 5-4.
Shawn Smith (Shelton, Conn.) led the Falcons offensively, as the freshman first baseman connected for four hits in the doubleheader, with a double, a run scored, and three RBIs. Tristan Smith (Salem, Conn.) also had a spectacular day for the Falcons, as the junior hurler threw 5.1 scoreless, hitless innings in relief to claim his first career win as a Falcon.
THE BASICS
FINAL (G1): Norwich 4 | Albertus Magnus 0
FINAL (G2): Albertus Magnus 5 | Norwich 4
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (5-18, 5-7 GNAC) | Norwich (13-12, 4-8 GNAC)
LOCATION: Garrity Field
HOW IT HAPPENED-GAME 1
The Falcons threatened in the top of the first inning, putting runners on the corners with no outs off of Cadets starter Ryan Miller. Matt Lewczyk (Windsor, Conn.) reached second on a throwing error by the shortstop to lead things off, before Ron Losacano (Old Lyme, Conn.) ripped a single into right field that sent Lewczyk to third base. Miller worked around the jam with a popout and a pair of strikeouts to keep the Falcons off of the board in the first inning.
Falcons' starter Tyler Baldwin (Cromwell, Conn.) struck back with a perfect 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the frame to keep the score knotted at zero.
Miller held the visitors in check in the top of the second, before the Cadets' offense went to work in the bottom half of the inning, hanging a three-spot behind four hits to take the early 3-0 lead.
The Falcons and Cadets traded zeros in the third inning, as neither team was able to get anything going on offense.
The Falcons threatened in the fourth, as Matt Warren (Wolcott, Conn.) kicked off the inning with a hit by pitch, before being erased on the very next play on a 1-6-3 double play. Sean Jefferson (West Haven, Conn.) laced a two-out single into right field before Bobby Arent (Ridgefield, Conn.) singled to shortstop to put two on with two outs for the blue-and-white. A Smith single into right field loaded the bases, but Miller slammed the door on the rally with an inning-ending strikeout.
Baldwin held the hosts scoreless in the bottom of the fourth, working around an error to hold the deficit at three and send the teams into the fifth inning with the Cadets still holding the 3-0 lead.
Albertus continued to put pressure on the Cadets, as Anthony Broadhurst (Stratford, Conn.) led off the fifth frame with a hit-by-pitch before Lewczyk followed up with a walk to put two on with no outs. A fielder's choice erased Broadhurst from the base paths followed by a flyout and a strikeout to end the inning.
Alan Stinson (Watertown, Conn.) relieved Baldwin in the bottom of the fifth for the Falcons. The Cadets put together three singles to score an additional run, before Stinson worked out of the inning with a groundout to send the teams into the sixth inning, with the Cadets holding the 4-0 lead.
The Falcons were unable to get anything going against Miller in the final two innings and fell to the Cadets in game one by a final score of 4-0.
TOP PERFORMERS
- WP: Ryan Miller (W, 2-3) - 6.0 Innings | 4 Hits | 0 Runs | 1 Walk | 10 Strikeouts
- LP: Tyler Baldwin (L, 1-5) - 4.0 Innings | 5 Hits | 3 Runs | 0 Walks | 3 Strikeouts
- Losacano was 1-for-3 with a walk.
- Jefferson, Arent, and Smith each collected hits for the Falcons.
HOW IT HAPPENED-GAME 2
The Cadets opened the game in the bottom of the first inning, scoring three runs on two hits and a Falcon error to take the 3-0 lead. The Falcons threatened in the second, as Yandy James (Paterson, N.J.) and Jefferson hit back-to-back two-out singles, but Cadets starter Tanner Raymond retired the next hitter for the final out of the inning.
Norwich added to its lead in the second scoring one run off a single and three wild pitches to push their lead to 4-0.
The Falcons' offense finally came to life in the fourth inning as the visitors scored an impressive five runs to take the one-run lead, 5-4 over the Cadets. Warren started off the inning by reaching first on a Cadet's error before Jefferson worked a walk and Arent reached on another Cadet's error to load the bases for the Falcons with no outs. James stepped to the plate and quickly lasered an RBI single into left field that scored Warren from third for the first Falcon's run of the game. S. Smith continued the hit parade with a bases-clearing double to left field that scored three runs for the Falcons. A groundout advanced S. Smith to third before Nhasean Murphy (Manchester, Conn.) lifted a deep fly ball to right field that scored S. Smith for the fifth run of the inning.
From there, the Cadets held the Falcons' offense in check after their explosive fourth inning. Jefferson worked a walk in the fifth, S. Smith singled in the sixth, and Losacano singled in the seventh, but the visitors were unable to push across any more runs.
T. Smith relieved Falcon's starter Michael Pepe (Cheshire, Conn.) in the second inning and threw 5.1 scoreless, hitless innings. Stinson relieved Smith in the seventh and recorded the final out to preserve the 5-4 Falcons' victory.
TOP PERFORMERS
- WP: Tristan Smith (W, 1-2) - 5.1 Innings | 0 Hits | 0 Runs | 4 Walks | 3 Strikeouts
- LP: Jordan Talbot (L, 0-1) - 2.0 Innings | 1 Hit | 1 Run | 1 Walk | 0 Strikeouts
- S. Smith was 3-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and three RBIs.
- James was 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.
NOTEWORTHY
- The Falcons are 33-12 all-time against the Cadets.
- S. Smith is hitting .462 (6-for-13) in his last four games.
- James is batting .538 (7-for-13) in his last five games.
- T. Smith has thrown six scoreless and hitless innings over his last two outings.
- Stinson has pitched to the tune of a 2.46 earned run average (2 ER in 7.1 innings) so far over the month of April.
- The Falcons are now 3-1 in their last four games.
UP NEXT
The Falcons will welcome the Panthers of Purchase State to Rochford Field on Monday, April 18th for a non-conference doubleheader match-up. Game one is slated for a 4 PM start, while game two will start at 6:30 PM.
