Baseball Rolls Past Fitchburg State in Non-Conference Clash, 16-5

FITCHBURG, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene baseball team posted a 16-5 non-league victory at Fitchburg State Wednesday afternoon at Riccards Field.

The Lions improve to 12-15 on the season with the result while the Falcons drop to 21-13 overall.

The Lions' starting nine each notched at least one base hit in the game.

Jake Koch (Dayton, Nev.) and Jeremy Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) each recorded two hits, two RBIs and scored three runs to lead the visitors. Pat Yee (Lynnfield, Mass.), Rocco Martinelli (Panama City, Panama), David Manning (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) and Justin Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) all chipped in with two RBIs on the day.

Joey Napolitano (Millerton, N.Y.) added two hits, two runs scored, two stolen bases and one RBI while Anthony Berroa (Teaneck, N.J.) finished with two runs scored, a pair of base knocks, one RBI and one stolen base.

Eastern Nazarene plated three runs in the second inning to take a 3-0 lead. With the bases full, Koch laced a double down the left field line to drive in Manning and Justin Wagner. Yee followed with a sacrifice fly to right as Koch tagged up and scored from third.

Fitchburg State got on the board in the bottom of the third to cut the deficit to 3-1. Patrick McMahon scampered home on a sacrifice fly by Steven Drury.

The Lions responded with a pair of runs in the fourth, stretching their advantage to 5-1. After Yee doubled to lead off the inning, Jeremy Wagner poked a single into right field to plate Yee from second. Martinelli drove in Eastern Nazarene's second run of the frame with a double to center which scored Jeremy Wagner.

The hosts knotted the score at 5-5 with four runs in the fifth frame. Javier Lozada singled home two runs and Mike Martignetti plated a pair with a two-out double to right-centerfield.

Eastern Nazarene reclaimed the lead in the sixth, pushing across two runs to grab a 7-5 edge. Berroa crossed the plate as Manning reached base safely on a fielder's choice. Justin Wagner followed with a grounder to the shortstop to score Martinelli from third.

The Lions added three scores in the seventh to widen the gap to 10-5. Berroa raked a bases-loaded single up the middle to plate Koch before Martinelli was hit by a pitch to allow Napolitano to trot home. Manning hoisted a sacrifice fly to centerfield to cap off the scoring in the inning as Jeremy Wagner bolted across the plate.

The visitors erupted for six runs in the top of the eighth to cushion their lead to 16-5. Napolitano, Yee, Jeremy Wagner, Justin Wagner and Manning all landed RBI base hits in the inning for the Lions.

Manning went the distance on the hill for Eastern Nazarene to register his first complete game of the spring and earn his first win.

Up next, Eastern Nazarene returns to Bradley Field to face Newbury in a non-conference game at 3:30 pm.