Baseball Drops CCC Twinbill to Gordon

QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene baseball team suffered a pair of setbacks to Gordon Friday afternoon at Adams Field, falling 3-1 and 13-7. The Lions slide to 7-13 overall and 1-5 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference with the results. The Fighting Scots remain unbeaten in league play with a 3-0 mark while improving to 12-5 on the season.

David Manning (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) notched four hits, one RBI and scored two runs on the day. Max Pugh (San Diego, Calif.) manufactured three base knocks, a run, one stolen base and an RBI in the doubleheader. Rocco Martinelli (Panama City, Panama), Jake Koch (Dayton, Nev.), Michael Chiaradio Jr. (Teaneck, N.J.) and Ryan Garza (Elsa, Texas) all recorded a pair of hits for Eastern Nazarene.

In game one, the home side got on the board first with a run in the bottom of the second. Manning hooked a double down the line in right to lead off the inning. After advancing to third on a grounder by Koch, Manning scampered home on a wild pitch to give the Lions a 1-0 edge.

The visitors answered with three runs in the third to claim a 3-1 advantage. Eric Rinaldi doubled to left-center to drive in Stephen Crawford from second base to tie the score at 1-1. Alex Potocki pushed Gordon ahead 3-1 with a two-run single to plate Eric Walker and Rinaldi with two away in the frame.

Anthony Berroa (Teaneck, N.J.) tossed his first complete game of the spring, striking out nine batters in seven innings of work.

Gordon started the nightcap with a trio of runs in the top of the first inning. Walker, Rinaldi and Brian Harrington all crossed the plate for the Fighting Scots.

The visitors added six runs in the second to widen the gap to 6-0. Gordon's first three batters reached base safely to load the bases with no outs. Rinaldi plated Carlos Pichardo from third with a single to right to pick up his second RBI of the contest. Harrington followed with a single to score Crawford and Walker.

Potocki collected a pair of RBIs with a single to center to drive in Rinaldi and Harrington. Alex German's groundout allowed Potocki to motor home from third for the Fighting Scots' final run of the frame.

Eastern Nazarene tallied its first run of the game in the home half of the second. Garza trotted home after Jeremy Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs.

The Lions picked up a run in the third inning to cut the deficit to 9-2. Garza laced a gapper into right-centerfield to drive in E.J. Estrada (Alpharetta, Ga.) from second base with his team-leading eighth double of the spring.

The Fighting Scots tacked on a pair of runs in the fourth as Dillon Coleman's one-out single plated Rinaldi and Harrington to stretch the lead to 11-2.

The hosts scored a run in the bottom of the fourth to narrow the margin to 11-3. Manning led off the inning with a double down the right field line and took third on a single by Koch. Chiaradio rolled a grounder to the right side of the infield as Manning crossed the plate.

Gordon responded with two runs in the top of the fifth to seize a 13-3 lead. Walker scooted home on a one-out RBI single by Potocki and Harrington scored on a bases-loaded walk issued to Cody Davey.

Eastern Nazarene tallied four runs in the bottom of the seventh to slice the Fighting Scots' advantage to 13-7. With two runners aboard, Pugh singled through the left side of the infield to plate Chiaradio and Estrada crossed the plate as Garza reached on a fielding error. Pugh and Garza motored home on a single to right by Manning to cap off the scoring.

The Lions will look to rebound from the two losses as they travel north to take on Endicott April 6.