Baseball Drops Two to Endicott on Senior Day

QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College baseball team absorbed a pair of losses on Senior Day to regionally-ranked Endicott Friday afternoon at Adams Field. The Lions fell 13-3 in the opening clash and 11-4 in game two.

The Lions move to 15-23 on the season and 2-12 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. The Gulls, ranked fourth in the NCAA Regional Poll, improve to 23-12 overall and 11-3 in league play with the results.

Brandon Wynne (New Haven, Conn.) posted a team-best three base hits and added one RBI in the twinbill. Andrew Santora (Middle Village, N.Y.) collected two hits and two RBIs on the day. Justin Calloway (Moore, Okla.) and Jose Arebalo (Brentwood, Calif.) each contributed with a pair of base knocks and one RBI.

Prior to the start of the doubleheader, the Eastern Nazarene College baseball program recognized its five members of the Class of 2016: Arebalo, Calloway, Kurt Picarelli (Montrose, N.Y.), Jeremy Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) and Justin Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.).

In game one, Endicott racked up 11 hits and drew 11 walks to prevail 13-3.

The guests established an early lead with seven runs in the first inning.

The home club responded with two runs in the bottom of the first frame to cut the deficit to 7-2. With the bases loaded, Calloway roped an RBI single to drive in Picarelli and Arebalo followed with a base knock to score Cameron Fiorentino (Uxbridge, Mass.).

Endicott chalked up three runs in the third to widen the gap to 10-2. Cody Hall scurried home on an infield hit by Anthony Serina. Nick Berno and Serina both crossed the dish as Mike Kochiss singled to left.

The Gulls tacked on three runs in the top of the seventh to increase their advantage to 13-2. Michael DeDonato scored on a double to right-center off the bat of Kochiss and Chris Seidl followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Dan Cacciola. Michael Casciano drove in Kochiss from third with an infield hit.

The Lions produced a run in the home half of the seventh as Wynne laced a single to right to drive in Jeremy Wagner from third base.

Nick Story (Gilbert, Ariz.) made his first start of the season on the mound before Ben Petersen (Manchester, Conn.) and Will Francis (Midlothian, Va.) made relief appearances out of the bullpen.

In the final home contest of the season, Eastern Nazarene suffered an 11-4 setback.

Endicott manufactured six runs in the top of the first to grab a 6-0 lead. Kochiss and Matthew Paola each notched two-run triples in the inning. Hall sliced a single down the right field line to score Paola and Berno followed with an RBI single to left.

The hosts trimmed the margin to 6-2 with a pair of runs in the second inning. Zach Zaino (Bourne, Mass.) stroked a triple to deep centerfield to drive in Fiorentino from first. Zaino scampered home as Joe Commesso (Marshfield, Mass.) reached on an error.

The visitors knocked in a run in the third to pad their lead, 7-2. Corbin Hyde doubled to left field to plate Paola from second.

The Lions narrowed the gap in the fourth with two runs, 7-4. With two runners aboard, Santora landed a two-out double down the line in left to score Zaino and Connor Simpson (Haverhill, Mass.).

The Gulls tallied a run in the sixth inning to claim an 8-4 advantage. Berno lined a single to center to drive in Cacciola.

Endicott added three runs in the seventh to stretch its lead to 11-4. Paola laced a single to right to drive in Kochiss from third base and Seidl trotted home after Hall was hit by a pitch. Berno delivered an RBI base knock to right to score Paola.

Zachary Carmody (Babylon, N.Y.) tossed two innings and recorded two strikeouts in his sixth start of the spring. Joel DeFreitas (New Bedford, Mass.) hurled 3.1 innings of relief and fanned two batters. Xavier Faria (Assonet, Mass.) worked one inning in his ninth relief outing of the season and finished with two strikeouts. Kenny Sorensen (Quincy, Mass.) threw two-thirds of an inning as he made his team-leading 13th appearance.

Up next, Eastern Nazarene closes out the season on the road at Nichols April 30.