Trinity Outlasts Wesleyan in Game Two of Baseball Championship
Courtesy Williams Sports Information
PITTSFIELD, Mass. - The Trinity College baseball team (27-5) used timely hitting and strong defense to grab Game 2 of the 2009 NESCAC Baseball Championship Friday afternoon over Wesleyan. The game, a 13-6 victory at Pittsfield's Wachonah Park, saw the Bantams capitalize on several crucial Cardinal miscues.
The Bantams came out swinging against Cardinal senior pitcher Dusty Mones, who allowed six runs in the first two innings. Mones, however, would settle down and hold the high powered Bantam offense scoreless over the next three.
In the process, the Cardinals turned a potential blowout into a close game with three runs in the fourth on four consecutive hits and one run in the sixth off freshman starter James Ramsey. The sixth inning however, could have been so much more for Wesleyan, as a great Bantam defensive play and a Cardinal baserunning miscue limited the damage to only one run.
With no outs in the sixth and a runner on first, first year Phil Rosenblum hit a hard line drive to the left center gap that potentially would have scored the runner from first, but junior centerfielder Matthew Sullivan made a fantastic diving grab to save a run.
Later in the inning, with the bases loaded, first year outfielder Brandyn Cooper sent a high flyball to the right field fence that looked like the second out, but the ball carried over the outfielder's head for a hit. One run scored easily, but junior Jeff Bizinkauskas was tagged out in a rundown between third and home after being forced to run home by the runner behind him.
The Cardinals would then strikeout to end the inning, and would not come any closer to catching the Bantams. In the bottom of the inning, the Bantams would chase Mones and put five runs on the board to put the game out of reach.
Top hitters for the Bantams were senior Sean Killeen (1-2, 3 R, 1 RBI), junior Kent Graham (4-5, 3 R, 5 RBI), and senior Ryan Piacentini (2-5, 1 R, 3 RBI). Ramsey finished allowing four earned runs over 5 2/3 innings to get his sixth win of the year, while junior Derek Anderson pitched 2 1/3 innings of strong relief.
For the Cardinals, Rosenblum (3-5, 1 RBI) and senior Garrett Lamborn (2-3, 3 R, 3 RBI) had strong days, while first year Mike Barsotti and sophomore James Hounsell held the Bantams to two earned runs over the final three innings.
Trinity will now face Williams tomorrow at 10:30 AM from Bobby Coombs Field. Wesleyan will stay at Wachonah Park to face Tufts in tomorrow's elimination game at 10:30 AM.
