Baseball Rolls to 15-2 Win over Maine-Presque Isle Friday

WATERTOWN, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College baseball team cruised to a 15-2 victory over the University of Maine at Presque Isle Friday afternoon at Victory Field.

The Lions improve to 9-6 on the season with the result while the Owls fall to 4-11 overall.

Kurt Picarelli (Montrose, N.Y.) finished with two hits, two RBIs and three runs scored on the day. Nick Story (Gilbert, Ariz.) drove in a team-high four RBIs while adding two runs, one stolen bag and a base knock. Josue Basilis (Bronx, N.Y.) notched one hit, two RBIs, scored twice and stole a base. Justin Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) posted a pair of RBIs and a hit while Jeremy Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) contributed with two base knocks and one RBI.

Eastern Nazarene knocked in a pair of runs in the bottom of the second to establish a 2-0 advantage. After Brandon Wynne (West Haven, Conn.) reached base to lead off the frame, Picarelli belted his second career home run to left field to open the scoring.

Maine-Presque Isle knotted the game at 2-2 in the top of the sixth. Matt Cauchon landed a double to right field to drive in Tommy Collins from first base. Cauchon came around to score on a grounder by Matt Curry.

The Lions produced five runs in the home half of the sixth inning to reclaim the lead, 7-2. After the first three batters reached base to load the bags, Story roped a bases-clearing pinch-hit triple to the gap in right-centerfield to plate Colton Rice (Mesa, Ariz.), Wynne and Picarelli. Story scampered home as Basilis pushed a sacrifice bunt down the third base line. Basilis tagged up and scored from third on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Zach Zaino (Bourne, Mass.).

Eastern Nazarene generated six runs in the seventh to widen the gap to 13-2. Justin Wagner collected a pair of RBIs while Jeremy Wagner, Story and Basilis also delivered RBIs in the inning.

John Greenlee (San Marcos, Calif.) and Basilis both crossed the dish in the eighth to stretch the Lions' lead to 15-2.

Zachary Carmody (Babylon, N.Y.) pitched six innings and struck out five in his third start of the spring. Ryan Spina (Selden, N.Y.) fanned the only batter he faced as he toed the rubber for the fifth time on the year. Ragan Cole (Alamogordo, N.M.) worked one inning in his fourth relief outing of the season. Will Francis (Midlothian, Va.) hurled two-thirds of an inning and recorded one strikeout. Brandon Imonti (Tewksbury, Mass.) tossed one inning to close out the win, striking out three consecutive batters after surrendering the first two batters of the ninth.

Up next, Eastern Nazarene will host Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in a non-conference doubleheader at Adams Field March 26.