Late Surge Propels Baseball to 10-4 Victory over Anna Maria

NORTHBOROUGH, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College baseball team scored eight runs in the final two frames en route to posting a 10-4 win over Anna Maria Wednesday at the New England Baseball Complex.

The Lions improve to 8-6 on the year while the AMCats sink to 2-14 overall with the outcome.

Jose Arebalo (Brentwood, Calif.) landed two hits, scored twice and drove in one RBI in the contest. Brandon Wynne (West Haven, Conn.) picked up three RBIs, crossed the plate three times, drew three walks and added a base knock on the day. Colton Rice (Mesa, Ariz.) and Zachary Carmody (Babylon, N.Y.) each finished with a hit, one run scored and an RBI.

Anna Maria tallied the game's opening run in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 edge. Tanner Jakola singled through the left side of the infield to plate Joseph Fahey from second base.

The AMCats added a run in the second to double their lead to 2-0. Fahey drove in Nick Feola with an infield single.

Eastern Nazarene reduced the gap in the top of the fifth, 2-1, knocking in one run as Wynne tagged up and scored from third on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kurt Picarelli (Montrose, N.Y.).

The Lions pulled even in the seventh, 7-7. Joe Commesso (Marshfield, Mass.) roped a two-out single to right field to score Wynne.

Eastern Nazarene erupted for five runs in the eighth inning to claim a 7-2 advantage. Arebalo raked a single into left to plate Zach Zaino (Bourne, Mass.) after he led off with a ground-rule double. Rice followed with an RBI single to right to drive in Arebalo before Jeremy Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) scurried home as Rice stole second base. Carmody and Josue Basilis (Bronx, N.Y.) both delivered RBI base knocks in the late stages of the inning.

Anna Maria sliced the deficit to 7-4 with a pair of runs in the home half of the frame. Jonathan Roy scored on a sacrifice fly by Matt Elliot. Elliot would come around to cross the dish as Camden Brown reached on a fielder's choice.

The Lions produced three runs in the ninth to increase their lead to 10-4. With runners on the corners, Wynne launched his first home run of the season to claim the team-lead with 10 RBIs on the spring.

Tyler Brown (Wilmington, Del.) hurled five innings in his first collegiate start and struck out three. Rob Dukes (Spencer, Mass.) tossed 1.2 innings of relief and recorded one strikeout as he picked up his first win of the season on the mound. Ryan Spina (Selden, N.Y.), Xavier Faria (Assonet, Mass.), Kenny Sorensen (Quincy, Mass.), Nick Story (Gilbert, Ariz.) and Wynne all combined to work the final 2.1 innings and secure the victory.

Up next, Eastern Nazarene will square off against the University of Maine at Presque Isle in a non-conference tilt March 25 at Victory Field in Watertown, Massachusetts.