Though it was a short week for the College’s baseball team, they were still able to capitalize on the only double-header of the week and were triumphant in their efforts.
A total of three games had to be postponed this past week due to poor field conditions. The games against Moravian College, Gwynedd-Mercy College and Penn State Abington are all in the process of being rescheduled for later dates.
In their only double-header of the week, the Lions roared past Muhlenberg in sweeping victories of 12-3 and 15-1. The College’s offense was hot and there was no mercy shown as they added run after run in their victories.
In the first game on Saturday, March 23, junior pitcher Brendan Kelly took the mound and earned his third win of the season. Only allowing one earned run and striking out seven, Kelly made sure to keep the Mules’ offense low while the Lions were taking charge.
After being down two runs, they scored 12 unanswered runs due to stellar pitching from Kelly. He allowed only five baserunners in the next seven innings.
Senior second baseman Scott Kelly went three-for-four with two RBI and a walk. He also stole a total of four bases in the course of both games and is now the College’s all-time stolen base leader.
Sophomore first baseman John Limon and senior third baseman Michael Murphy also had impressive games, Limon going three-for-five with three RBI and Murphy going two-for-five with two RBI. The team had a total of 12 runs on 13 hits.
In the second game, the Lions came out even stronger than the first. With a season high 18 hits, their offense was on fire and their pitching was able to hold the Mules down. Freshman pitcher Stephen Volpe pitched seven shutout innings in his most impressive collegiate start, allowed six hits, and walked only one.
The rest of the freshman on the team really stepped up and started things off right for the Lions. Freshman outfielder Pat Roberts, freshman outfielder Mark Mari and freshman catcher Garen Turner all singled in the first to give the Lions their early lead and got the ball rolling.
Sophomore shortstop Anthony Cocuzza had an impressive game, going three-for-five with three RBI and two runs scored. The Lions scored 15 runs on 18 hits, a record for the season so far.
This week, the Lions will travel to Alvernia University on Wednesday, March 27 for a 3:30 p.m. start.
