HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. – The Centenary University baseball team matched its season-high with 11 runs in a game two comeback win to split a doubleheader with SUNY Cobleskill on Saturday afternoon at Our Diamond of Dreams.
The Fighting Tigers jumped out to an early advantage in game one and held off a late charge by the Cyclones for the 13-11 win. In game two, Centenary rallied from a 4-3 deficit for an 11-6 victory.
"It's rare that you give up 13 runs, lose the first game of a four-game series and feel like you have all the momentum, but that's how it felt today," said head coach
Scott Kushner. "All any coach can truly ask for is that their team competes. Never packs it in early. Never concedes their effort. That we got the tying run to the plate in game one, after being down 11 runs proved we would concede nothing. We took that mentality into game two and were relentless up and down the lineup."
Game One Recap (SUNY Cobleskill Wins, 13-11)
SUNY Cobleskill put the bats to work early in game one and scored 11 runs in the first four innings.
Jayson Maxwell had a pair of two run home runs for the Fighting Tigers in that stretch.
The Cyclones got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth. Back-to-back RBI singles from sophomores
Christopher Gass and
Paul Links plated the first two runs of the game for the home team.
Michael Vallario drew a bases loaded walk with two outs to force another run across. Senior
Chris Miller then made it an 11-5 game with a two-run single to center.
SUNY Cobleskill got one of those runs back in the top of the fifth and led 12-5.
Centenary put four runs on the board in the bottom of the sixth and pulled to within three, 12-9. Vallario had an RBI single before Miller poked a two-run single to left field. Sophomore
Brandon Smith added a sac fly in the frame.
A lead-off home run from
Nick Thomas gave SUNY Cobleskill a 13-9 lead in the top of the seventh.
The Cyclones weren't done yet in the contest. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Centenary had two batters reach on singles. Vallario then ripped a triple to center to score both runners and made it a 13-11 game. However, SUNY Cobleskill was able to get the final out and secure the 13-11 win.
Kristopher Bulman earned the win for the Fighting Tigers as he gave up five runs in four innings. Senior
Chris Lilly took the loss despite a complete game effort.
Vallario led the Cyclones at the dish as he was 3-for-3 with four RBIs while Miller added two hits and four RBIs.
Thomas went 2-for-2 with five RBIs for SUNY Cobleskil.
Game Two Recap (Centenary Wins, 11-6)
SUNY Cobleskill took an early lead in this one with a one-out home run in the top of the first.
Centenary responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of that frame. Gass lifted a sac fly to right before Links came through with an RBI double.
The Fighting Tigers scored the next three runs in the contest and took a 4-3 lead in the top of the third.
Centenary battled back to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth. Junior
Jonathan Pezzato lifted a sac fly to right that scored senior
Cole Fratesi.
The Cyclones put four more runs on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth and took an 8-4 lead in the game. With two outs, sophomore
Anthony Vassallo had an RBI single to right and after a walk loaded the bases, Pezzato brought two home with a double to left center.
SUNY Cobleskill made it an 8-5 game with a run in the top of the sixth.
In the bottom half of the frame, junior
Nicholas Grifone hit the first Cyclone home run of the season. Grifone's bomb was a two-run shot to right and gave the home team a 10-5 lead. Vallario lifted a sac fly to right later in the inning as the Cyclones extended their lead to 11-5.
The Fighting Tigers added one more run in the top of the seventh before the Cyclones got three outs to secure the win.
Sophomore
Jared Miller picked up his first win of the season with a complete game effort. He gave up six runs while striking out two.
Ethan Straub took the loss in relief for SUNY Cobleskill as he gave up seven runs in three innings.
Vassallo led Centenary at the plate with three hits and two runs scored while Links had two hits, two runs scored and two RBIs. Smith contributed two hits and three RBIs in the contest.
Maxwell had two hits and two RBIs for SUNY Cobleskill.
The two teams resume their weekend series tomorrow at 11 a.m. in another doubleheader at Our Diamond of Dreams.
