By Jhett Laurie
Staff Writer
The College’s baseball team has been off to a hot start after their return from Florida. After a strong 6-3 run in the Sunshine State, the Lions swept in their first week back, with a doubleheader win over New Jersey Athletic Conference rivals William Paterson.
To start their week off on Wednesday, March 26, the College traveled to Chester, Pennsylvania to take on Widener University. Senior Zach Hochheiser started the scoring early in the first inning, bringing in an unearned run on a double play. A wild pitch from Widener would bring home a second run to make the score 2-0.
From that point on, it was smooth sailing for the Lions, as they would only build upon that lead with a two-run home run in the third and a solo shot in the fifth from junior Tyler Provost. Provost is the first Lion to have a multi-home run game since the 2023 season.
Six players managed to tally a multi-hit game, with senior Mike LaGravenis leading the way with four hits on the day. Senior pitcher Dan Merkel had a good outing, letting up only two runs over his five innings pitched. The Lions would take home a 10-3 win at the end of the day.
When asked about what has changed from the beginning of the season to now, Provost, a marketing major, said, “Earlier in the season, we were a very streaky team where only a few guys would be hitting good while others were struggling… Rather than just a few guys getting RBIs, everyone in the lineup 1-9 can score runners.”
The stats can back this up. Over the first eight games of the season, the Lions only had two games with double-digit hits. Over the next 12 games, the Lions have only four games with less than double-digit hits, a massive momentum shift as conference play begins.
The next day, Thursday, March 27, saw a rematch from earlier in the season against Haverford. Having previously lost 4-2 at home, the College played with some vengeance when they took the trip out to Haverford, Pennsylvania. Bringing in a season high 22 runs, the Lions played with no remorse as the game was called in the eighth inning due to their lead.
Fifth-year Gianni Marano opened the first inning with a two-run home run to put the Lions up 2-0, followed by a three-run home run from senior Andrew Fernandez in the second to give the College a 5-1 lead. Marano would have yet another RBI in the second, bringing the total to three on the day.
The College’s offense exploded in the third inning, relying on only three hits to bring in eight runs. Discipline at the plate saw the team draw six walks throughout the inning, most of which would result in the inning’s outstanding offensive production.
A continued offensive assault saw the College putting up another four runs in the fifth inning, opened with a home run from Hochheiser. Marano would earn his fourth and final RBI on the day before entering as a reliever in the bottom of the fifth inning. He would go on to throw 1.1 perfect innings, racking up a win in relief.
Saturday, March 29 saw the Lions take on their first two conference games, hosting William Paterson here in Ewing. William Paterson opened the game up early with a four-run push across the second and third innings, before the College would cut into that lead in the bottom of the fourth by scoring on an error. William Paterson would set the score to 5-1 after an RBI single in the top of the fifth.
The Lions took control of the game in the sixth and never looked back. Marano would have an RBI in the sixth to bring the Lions back to life. The seventh inning saw Provost hit a solo home run followed by a two-run home run from fellow junior Jack O’Donnell, bringing the score to an even 5-5.
Provost struck again in the eighth inning, tallying his second home run of the day; this time, it being a three-run blast to give the Lions their first lead of the day. In the next at bat, Fernandez would follow Provost, hitting back-to-back home runs to add cushion to the Lions' lead. The final run of the game would come in the eighth, with senior Zach Weiner scoring on a balk.
Sophomore pitcher Evan Frank and fifth-year Joe Ferrari would pitch in relief, keeping the Bears to only one hit through the final two innings. The final score of the first game was 10-5.
The second game saw continued success from Lions hitters, with LaGravenis leading off with a home run on just the second pitch of the game. This would be his first home run in his career as a Lion. William Paterson would tie the score in the top of the second, before the College would match them with an RBI double from Provost.
A double from Hochheiser and a single from fifth-year Ryan Goodall would each bring across a run, giving the Lions a three-run lead in the third. Fernandez would hit yet another home run, bringing his total to three on the week and starting a three-game home run streak, something not seen very often.
Fielding mishaps would cut into the College’s lead in the fifth inning, with William Paterson scoring three unearned runs. However, this would not prove to be enough as Provost would score on a wild pitch in the eighth inning, giving the Lions a 6-4 victory.
Senior pitcher Jackson Malouf picked up his third win of the season, pitching 5.2 innings and striking out seven batters while giving up only one earned run on nine hits. Frank would make his second appearance of the day, pitching 3.1 perfect innings in relief while striking out three. He would get his first save of the season and his career.
The Lions face off against a litany of Rutgers teams, taking on Rutgers-Camden on April 3 and 4, before playing a doubleheader against Rutgers-Newark on April 5.
