Baseball Edges Emerson in Friday Night Contest, 6-5

BROCKTON, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College baseball team eked out a 6-5 victory over Emerson at Campanelli Stadium Friday evening.

Eastern Nazarene improves to 12-7 on the season while Emerson falls to 3-14 overall.

Andrew Santora (Middle Village, N.Y.) posted two hits, one run scored and one RBI in the game. Justin Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) landed two hits and crossed the dish once. Jose Arebalo (Brentwood, Calif.) and Colton Rice (Mesa, Ariz.) both finished with a base knock and one run scored.

Eastern Nazarene manufactured three runs in the top of the first to establish a 3-0 lead. Rice, Cameron Fiorentino (Uxbridge, Mass.) and Arebalo all crossed the dish.

Eastern Nazarene tacked on a run in the second to increase its advantage to 4-0 as Justin Wagner scored on a single by Jeremy Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.).

Emerson got on the board with one run in the second inning to narrow the margin to 4-1.

Emerson tallied one run in the fifth and two runs in the sixth to tie the game at 4-4.

Eastern Nazarene reclaimed the lead in the seventh, 5-4. Santora motored home with the go-ahead run as Rice reached on an error.

Emerson responded with another equalizer in the home half of the seventh.

Eastern Nazarene produced a run in the eighth to take a 6-5 edge. Sam Danis (Uxbridge, Mass.) tagged up and scored as Santora lifted a sacrifice fly to left.

Joel DeFreitas (New Bedford, Mass.) started on the mound and pitched five innings. Connor Simpson (Haverhill, Mass.) and Tyler Brown (Wilmington, Del.) each tossed 1.1 innings and recorded one strikeout. Brandon Imonti (Tewksbury, Mass.) picked up the win with 1.1 innings of relief. Zach Zaino (Bourne, Mass.) earned the save with a three-strikeout close.

Up next, Eastern Nazarene opens conference play on the road at Gordon April 8.