Baseball Falters at Roger Williams in CCC Contests

BRISTOL, R.I. – The Eastern Nazarene baseball team dropped a Commonwealth Coast Conference doubleheader at Roger Williams Saturday afternoon. The Lions were edged 2-1 in nine innings before falling 10-1 to move to 9-17 overall and 1-9 in league play. The Hawks improved to 19-11 on the season and 8-2 in the conference.

Ryan Garza (Elsa, Texas) collected a team-best three base knocks on the day while also driving in a run. Anthony Berroa (Teaneck, N.J.) contributed with two hits, one run scored, one stolen base and a run batted in. Rocco Martinelli (Panama City, Panama) landed a pair of hits and stole a base.

Eastern Nazarene got on the board in the top of the fourth, seizing a 1-0 lead. Berroa laced a one-out double to right and came around to score on a base knock by Garza with two away.

Roger Williams answered with an equalizer in the home half of the inning to tie the score at 1-1. Matt Swensen landed a lead-off single and stole second. After advancing to third on a single by John Oppenheimer, Swensen tagged up and score as Reid Nelson lifted a sacrifice fly to right field.

The Hawks pushed across the game-winning run in the ninth to walk off with a 2-1 victory. Matt Jefferis raked a double to right to lead off the ninth and scored on a throwing error as Chris Travers dropped down a sacrifice bunt.

Brandon Wells (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) logged seven innings on the hill for the visitors in his seventh start of the season. Wells struck out five batters while allowing one run and six hits. Nathan Russell (San Diego, Calif.) worked the two extra innings and absorbed his first loss of the spring.

The home team kicked off game two with a four-run frame in the first inning. Oppenheimer and Jefferis registered RBI singles while Joe Hock and Shawn Cariglio drove in runs with sacrifice flies.

Roger Williams added a run in the second to claim a 5-0 edge. Mike Pascarella scampered home as the Lions attempted to pick-off Swensen at first base.

The Hawks tacked on three unearned runs in the third as Eastern Nazarene committed three errors in the inning. Hock, Mike Thomas and Tyler Campo all crossed the plate for the hosts.

Roger Williams picked up a pair of scores in the bottom of the fourth to extend its advantage to 10-0. Hock and Trevor Larson collected RBI singles as Oppenheimer and Jefferis touched home plate.

The Lions got on the board in the sixth inning with a run to pull the score to 10-1. Pat Yee (Lynnfield, Mass.) singled through the hole in the left side of the infield with two outs and swiped second base. Berroa followed with a double down the left field line to notch his team-leading 16th RBI of the spring as Yee rounded third and scored.

Matt Jayne (Quincy, Mass.) pitched 3.1 innings in his fifth start of the 2013 campaign. Doug English (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) closed out the game on the hill with 2.2 scoreless innings while striking out three batters and surrendering just two hits.

Up next, Eastern Nazarene visits Curry April 15 in a Commonwealth Coast Conference twinbill.