Milton, Mass. – The Curry College baseball team earned a split with visiting Commonwealth Coast Conference opponent Gordon College, 5-1 and 3-2 to put the Colonels' record at 12-19 on the season and 6-7 in the CCC. The Fighting Scots level out to 18-15 overall and 7-8 in the conference at the end of the day.
Game One
Curry got out of the gate early to take the lead after Gordon sent only four batters to the plate in the top half of the inning. Senior John Arens (Milton, Mass.) led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a sac bunt from classmate Kyle Connors (Stoughton, Mass.). Junior Alex McLean (Elliot, Maine) followed with a single to left field to plate Arens and McLean would take second on the throw. However, he would be stranded there and the score would remain 1-0 albeit if only for a short while.
The Colonels had another runner come all the way around the bases two innings later with Arens starting things again, this time with a one-out double to right. Connors followed up with a single to centerfield deep enough to bring Arens around clean. Connors almost came around to score himself later in the half inning, but the throw beat him and the Fighting Scots got out of the inning after having their deficit increased by a run.
Gordon would finally get on the board in the sixth inning starting things with a walk from sophomore Addison Tarr (Oxnard, Calif.). Junior Dean Demers (Sandy Hook, Conn.) followed by reaching on an error and both runners moved up after a sac bunt. Tarr would touch the plate after senior Alex Smith (Wethersfield, Conn.) grounded out to second base and the score was cut to 2-1 after five and a half innings.
Curry would respond in the bottom half of the inning with junior Nick Crivello (Blackstone, Mass.) starting things with a single to left. After a passed ball and a wild pitch, sophomore Will de la Cruz (Bronx, N.Y.) drew a walk to put runners on the corners for freshman Ben Lary (Kennebunk, Maine).
Lary delivered an RBI single and de la Cruz got all the way to third to keep runners on the corners. Sophomore Anthony Sciaudone (York, Maine) produced an RBI ground out and advanced Lary to second where he would score from on Arens single back up the middle. That made the score 5-1 and a 1-2-3 inning for freshman Brandon Bercovitz (West Bridgewater, Mass.) sent the score to a final.
Classmate Matt Fogarty (Millis, Mass.) earned the win finishing six full innings allowing the sole run on only one hit while racking up four strikeouts. Senior Scott Hall (Weymouth, Mass.) also finished six innings but allowed all five earned runs on 11 hits while striking out a trio of Colonels.
Game Two
The second game was similarly close with both teams opening the scoring in the second inning. The Fighting Scots got up to bat first and were able to score first after they were able to load the bases with two singles and a walk.
Tarr delivered a single that got past Arens in the outfield and the eventual throw into the infield got through and allowed freshman Christian Hodge (Waltham, Mass.) to score on the error after classmate Chris Leavitt (East Bridgewater, Mass.) scored on the hit.
Curry responded quickly, tying the game in their half of the inning starting with an error and two walks to load the bases. de la Cruz singled through the left side to plate Fogarty and left the bases loaded. Lary followed with a sacrifice fly to center field to score Crivello. That tied the game up at two after two full innings and another run wouldn't come across until extra innings.
The top of the eighth started with two quick outs but Hodge supplied a single up the middle and freshman Alec Willey (San Diego, Calif.) delivered a double to the right-center wall to score Hodge to put the Fighting Scots ahead by a run.
The Colonels went down 1-2-3 in the bottom half to send the 3-2 score final to end the day on a split. Curry's starter sophomore David Griffin (Hanover, Mass.) was handed the loss after he finished six and two thirds innings allowing the three runs to come across on 11 hits while striking out eight batters. Junior Matt Amore (Pequannock, N.J.) finished the final five innings and earned the win yielding no runs on three hits while racking up five strikeouts.
The Colonels return to action tomorrow afternoon as they travel to Western New England for a noon start to the CCC doubleheader that could decide Curry's playoff destiny. Gordon comes back on Monday afternoon for a 3:30 p.m. start to their non-conference game at Bates College.
By: Cole McNanna
