April 13, 2008

Game One Game Two

NEWARK, NJ - Vermont guaranteed itself a happy 300-mile bus ride back home to Burlington, sweeping a Sunday baseball doubleheader from NJIT, 17-2 and 17-6, Sunday afternoon at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium.

Sunday's sweep began about 17 hours after the Catamounts completed another doubleheader sweep of the Highlanders on Saturday.

The Highlanders held brief leads in each of the two Sunday games, but Vermont's bats were too much for any of the pitchers NJIT used in the doubleheader.

NJIT took a 2-0 lead after one inning in game one, but Vermont responded with three runs in the top of the second inning and poured across 14 more runs, including five in the third inning and seven in the sixth inning for the 17-2 win.

The Catamounts, who hit two doubles and two home runs in the game, were extra efficient, scoring their 17 runs on 12 hits. They also picked up seven walks and stranded just five runners.

Game two played out a bit differently. Vermont scored an unearned run in the top of the first inning, but NJIT got the run back in its half of the inning.

The Catamounts went back up on another unearned run in the top of the second, but NJIT had one of its best innings of the season, scoring five times in the bottom of the second, highlighted by SS Miguel Lugo's two-run homer.

But not even the 6-2 Highlander lead was safe for long, as Vermont answered right back with five runs of its own in the top of the third. The Catamounts continued tacking on more runs, scoring three runs in each of the next three innings and then one in the seventh. Vermont scored at least once in every inning in game two.

RHP Keith Rakus (2-3) was the winning pitcher for Vermont in game one, getting an inning of relief help from RHP Tom Kelly. Rakus worked six innings and scattered four hits, allowing two runs (one earned), with two walks and four strikeouts.

LHP Rob Pietrocola, the first of three NJIT pitchers in the game, took the loss for NJIT, allowing the first six Vermont runs in 2.1 innings.

Vermont's game one hitting stars were CF Ethan Paquette and 2B Brad Currier, each of whom batted 3-for-3 with a home run. Currier, the ninth hitter in the Vermont batting order, drove in six runs and Paquette drove in four. SS Matt Duffy was 2-for-5.

DH Matt Schlitter had two doubles, accounting for half of NJIT's four hits. He also drove in a run, as did freshman RF Dom Hayes, who joined Schlitter and Lugo in the hits column in game one.

Vermont's starting RHP Kyle Henry (2-2) threw 111 pitches, but got the win, allowing seven hits, three walks and six runs in six innings. Owen Ozanich pitched an inning in relief.

Freshman RHP Anthony Corsi (0-2) started and lost for NJIT. He pitched 2.1 innings and allowed six hits and seven runs (four earned). The Highlanders used four relievers, including Pietrocola, the game one starter and freshman Matt Marotta, who made his first pitching appearance of the year. Marotta, normally an infielder, got the last three outs and did not allow a hit or a run.

Vermont, which had different hitting leaders in all four games of its weekend sweep in Newark, got a 3-for-5, four-RBI effort from 3B Kyle Massie in game two. C Jason Leclerc, who did not play in game on, was 3-for-4, with two runs batted in the nightcap. Three other Catamounts finished with two hits apiece.

NJIT, which had nine hits in game two, was paced by Schlitter and Hayes, each of whom rapped out two hits. Lugo, a sophomore who hit his first home run of the season, drove in two runs and Hayes had the other RBI.

The Highlanders got two of their five second inning runs on an unusual play. With a run on first base, C Matt Tomczyk singled sharply up the middle. The ball then scooted under the center fielder's glove and went all the way to the wall, as the baserunner Tom Farina scored easily and the speedy Tomczyk flew around all the bases to score on the play, as well. Lugo hit the ball over the fence two batter's after Tomczyk's "homer".

NJIT has one day before heading to Bethlehem, PA, for a 3:30 pm game on Tuesday at Lehigh.