Baseball Tops MCLA Twice in Weekend Twinbill

QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College baseball team earned a pair of victories over Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) Saturday afternoon at Adams Field.

The Lions prevailed 4-1 in the opening contest before securing the sweep with a 4-3 win in game two to improve to 11-6 on the year. The Trailblazers drop to 3-8 overall with the outcomes.

Brandon Wynne (West Haven, Conn.) collected a team-high four base hits on the day while adding one run and one RBI. Colton Rice (Mesa, Ariz.) finished with two hits, one run scored, one RBI and a stolen base. Zach Zaino (Bourne, Mass.) chipped in with a pair of base knocks and two stolen bases while Kurt Picarelli (Montrose, N.Y.) recorded two hits and crossed the dish twice.

In the matinee game, Eastern Nazarene hurried out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Jeremy Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) sliced a double to right field to drive in Rice. Wynne followed with a single down the left field line to plate Jeremy Wagner from third. Wynne scampered home on a wild pitch with the hosts' third run of the frame.

MCLA closed the gap to 3-1 in the top of the second as Nick DiSanti landed a two-out double in right-center to score Myles Candelet.

The Lions tallied a run in the bottom of the sixth to restore their advantage to three, 4-1. After Wynne raked a double to the gap in left-center to lead off the home half of the frame, Joe Commesso (Marshfield, Mass.) delivered a pinch-hit base knock down the left field line to drive in Andrew Santora (Middle Village, N.Y.) for his ninth RBI of the season.

Brent Houle (Westfield, Mass.) tossed his team-leading second complete game to improve to 4-0 on the mound. The sophomore struck out five batters while allowing just three hits, one walk and one unearned run.

In game two, Eastern Nazarene plated one run in the second inning to establish a 1-0 edge. Justin Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) scorched a base knock through the right side of the infield to drive in Picarelli from second base.

In the third, the Lions generated two runs to push their lead to 3-0. With two runners aboard, Nick Story (Gilbert, Ariz.) roped a double to the fence in right to plate Picarelli and Connor Simpson (Haverhill, Mass.).

The Trailblazers got on the board with a run in the fourth to close the gap to 3-1. Nate Alibozek singled to center to score Liam Nolan.

The home side tacked on a run in the sixth to recapture a three-run advantage, 4-1. Rice knocked in his fifth RBI of the spring with a two-out single to right to drive in Justin Wagner.

In his fourth start of the season, Cameron Fiorentino (Uxbridge, Mass.) hurled 6.1 innings and fanned six. Ben Petersen (Manchester, Conn.) picked up his first collegiate save with a five-pitch outing spanning two-thirds of an inning, finishing with one strikeout.

Up next, Eastern Nazarene will host Southern Vermont in a non-league contest at Adams Field March 30.