Baseball Trades Narrow Decisions with Newbury

FORT MYERS, Fla.- The Eastern Nazarene baseball team topped Newbury 12-10 in game two after dropping the opening contest 6-5 Monday as part of the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic.

The Lions progress to 2-2 overall while the Nighthawks reach 1-3 on the season with the split.

In game one, Newbury got on the board in the first inning as Michael Perillo came around to score on a single by Matthew Clawson. The Nighthawks bolstered their lead with a three-run second inning to claim a 4-0 advantage.

In the fourth inning, Newbury tacked on its fifth run of the contest as Perillo drove in Patrick Argentina with one out.

Eastern Nazarene cut the deficit in half with two runs in the fifth. After Jeremy Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) raked a lead-off double to center, E.J. Estrada (Alpharetta, Ga.) plated him with an RBI single to centerfield. Michael Chiaradio Jr. (Oklahoma City, Okla.) drove in Matt Jayne (Quincy, Mass.) from third as he grounded out to the shortstop.

The Lions leveled the game at 5-5 in the top half of the sixth, pushing three runners across the plate. Kurt Picarelli (Montrose, N.Y.), Justin Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) and Jeremy Wagner all touched home plate for Eastern Nazarene in the inning.

The Nighthawks loaded the bases in the home half of the sixth after a pair of walks and a hit batsman. With one away in the inning, Zahornasky was issued a walk to force the go-ahead run home.

Anthony Berroa (Teaneck, N.J.) pitched four innings for Eastern Nazarene and struck out three batters. Matt Jordon (Pleasantville, N.Y.) came on to work two innings of relief and fanned the first two batters he faced.

In the nightcap, Newbury grabbed a quick 1-0 edge as Zahornasky's first-inning single plated Perrillo.

The Lions responded with four runs in the bottom of the frame. Max Pugh (San Diego, Calif.), David Manning (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.), Estrada and Chiaradio all scored runs for the Lions while Jake Koch (Dayton, Nev.), Ryan Garza (Elsa, Texas) and Pugh each registered an RBI in the inning.

Eastern Nazarene tallied four more runs in the second inning to push the lead to 8-1. Rocco Martinelli (Panama City, Panama) came around to score after leading off the inning with a single to center. Berroa, Pugh and Manning all followed with runs as Koch and Garza both drove in an RBI.

The Lions added a run in the third to lengthen the margin to 9-1. Berroa laced a two-out triple to the right field fence before stealing home.

The Nighthawks got a run back in the fourth and fifth to pull to within six, 9-3.

Eastern Nazarene widened the margin to nine, 12-3, with a three-run outburst in the fifth. Jeremy Wagner and Martinelli led off the frame with back-to-back hits, a single followed by a double. Brad Hampton (South Daytona, Fla.) drove both runners in with a two-run single to left before trotting home on a base knock by Berroa.

Newbury used a seven-run surge in the sixth to draw to within striking distance, 12-10. The Nighthawks benefitted from six walks and three run-producing singles in the inning.

The Lions staved off the late comeback by the Nighthawks to hang on for a 12-10 victory in game two.

Jayne started on the mound and tossed four innings on the hill while racking up a pair of strikeouts. Doug English (Myrtle Beach, S.C.), Spyro Varetimos (North Attleboro, Mass.) and Reese Richmond (Villa Rica, Ga.) all made relief pitching appearances in the win for Eastern Nazarene.

Up next, Eastern Nazarene will square off against Hiram March 5 in a twinbill as it continues play at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic.