By Jhett Laurie
Staff Writer
The College’s baseball team went 1-2 in the games since their loss to Haverford on March 4. The team looks to gain some momentum throughout the week before they travel to Auburndale, Florida for the RussMatt Invitational.
On March 6, the Lions had a dominating win over Ursinus, defeating them 19-6. The College took a healthy lead in the third inning, with senior Mike LaGravenis’ double scoring two RBIs to make the score 7-0.
Scoring started in the first inning with a home run by fifth-year Gianni Marano to give the Lions a one-run lead. Marano was joined in the home run column by seniors Zack Bowman and Andrew Fernandez, who also tallied home runs on the day.
The Lions’ pitchers had a strong outing, with senior Dan Merkel striking out six over five innings, only giving up three hits and one run. A combined effort out of the bullpen from Sophomore Jack O’Shea, Senior Jack Marchese, Graduate Gianni Marano and Junior John DiCostanzo struck out 10 while only letting up four earned runs.
LaGravenis tallied four hits and five RBIs on the day, the third time in his career that he’s recorded four hits in a game.
The College then traveled to Salisbury, Maryland, on March 8 to face off against No. 7 ranked Salisbury. The bats did not come with the team, as the Lions recorded their first hit in the fifth inning. This would be too late as Salisbury had already taken a 6-0 lead.
The College attempted to rally in the eighth inning, scoring two runs to make the score 2-7, yet it was not enough to overcome the seven-run deficit that they acquired.
Lions’ Senior pitcher Jackson Malouf pitched strong in the relief, allowing only one run from the fifth inning onward. Malouf struck out seven batters, bringing his season total to 12.
March 11 saw the Lions take on Wilkes at home. The College lost the game 8-4 after gaining momentum in the third inning. Wilkes took an early 1-0 lead without a single hit. Shortstop Nathan Loch walked, stole second, stole third and then scored on a throwing error by the College.
Wilkes scored two more runs in the third inning. However, junior designated hitter Tyler Provost got two RBIs on a single to left field in the bottom of the inning, cutting the deficit to one run until the fifth inning, where a Wilkes home run would make the score 6-2.
Senior Justin Marcario had a two RBI single in the bottom of the fifth, making the score 6-4. Scoring would stop there for the Lions, as Wilkes would go on to win 8-4.
The Lions will travel to Florida on Saturday, March 15 to take on Milwaukee School of Engineering at 1:30 pm in their first game of nine in the RussMatt Invitational.
