Baseball Claims Walk-Off Win in Game Two, Salvages Split Against Gordon on Senior Day

QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College baseball team rallied to claim a 3-2 walk-off win over Gordon to earn a doubleheader split against Gordon on Senior Day Saturday afternoon at Adams Field. The Lions dropped game one 12-2 before battling back to top the Fighting Scot 3-2 in dramatic fashion.

Prior to the start of the twinbill, the Eastern Nazarene baseball program honored its six seniors: Doug English (Myrtle Beach, S.C.), Jake Koch (Dayton, Nev.), Rocco Martinelli (Panama City, Panama), Brady Smith (Brewer, Maine), Brandon Wells (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) and Pat Yee (Lynnfield, Mass.).

Koch posted a team-high three base hits on the day and added one RBI and one run scored. Jeremy Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) finished with two hits, two runs scored and a stolen base. Yee collected two base knocks and drove in one RBI while Justin Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) recorded a pair of stolen bases and a hit.

Gordon tallied a dozen runs en route to picking up its eighth league victory of the year.

The visitors got on the board in the top of the first inning, grabbing a 1-0 edge. Dean Demers scored from second base as Alex Smith reached on an error.

The Fighting Scots added two runs in the third to extend their advantage to 3-0. Jared Kefalas stole third and scampered home on an errant throw before Demers tagged up and crossed the dish on a sacrifice fly by Travis Pullen.

Eastern Nazarene answered with a pair of scores in the home half of the third inning. Koch scorched a one-out single down the left field line to drive in Luis Gonzalez (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) from second. Jeremy Wagner plated Koch as he rolled a grounder to the right side of the infield.

Gordon reclaimed a three-run lead in the fourth, pushing across two runs. Addison Tarr doubled down the line in left field to score Jesse Amaya and later touched the dish on a sacrifice fly by Kefalas.

The guests generated six runs in the fifth frame to establish an 11-2 margin. Eric Walker, Amaya, Tarr and Demers all picked up RBIs in in the inning.

The Fighting Scots tacked on a score in the sixth inning to take a double-digit lead, 12-2. Tarr landed an RBI single in centerfield to plate Mark Fitzgerald.

English pitched four-plus innings in his final collegiate start and struck out one batter. Rob Dukes (Spencer, Mass.) recorded two strikeouts in one inning of relief action. Joe Cardaropoli (Agawam, Mass.) hurled two innings and fanned one hitter.

In game two, the Lions captured a thrilling 3-2 walk-off win.

Eastern Nazarene plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the first to snag a 2-0 lead. Miguel Ortiz (New Britain, Conn.) bolted home as Jeremy Wagner swiped second base. Yee raked a two-out single to left to drive in Jeremy Wagner from third.

Gordon cut the deficit in half, 2-1, with a score in the fifth. Walker singled into right field to plate Amaya from third.

The Fighting Scots leveled the contest at 2-2 with one run in the top of the seventh. Kefalas executed a squeeze bunt and Jeremy Jackson crossed the plate with the equalizer.

In the home half of the seventh, Jeremy Wagner laced a two-out double to centerfield and Cameron Fiorentino (Uxbridge, Mass.) followed with the game-winning RBI as he twisted a double down the right field line.

Brent Houle (Westfield, Mass.) tossed his fourth complete game of the season to pick up his team-leading third win. The rookie right-hander struck out six batters and allowed no walks in seven innings of action.

Up next, Eastern Nazarene will close out the conference slate at Bradley Field against Nichols April 27.