Baseball Sweeps SUNY Canton in Final Regular-Season Series

WALTHAM, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College baseball team collected a pair of crucial victories over SUNY Canton Saturday, prevailing 9-1 and 10-1.

GAME ONE
THE BASICS:
Score: Eastern Nazarene 9, SUNY Canton 1
Records: Lions (11-19-1, 8-6 NAC) | Roos (3-30, 2-12 NAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Eastern Nazarene opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning, tallying one run to snag a 1-0 edge.
• The Lions produced five runs in the second to widen the margin to 6-0.
• SUNY Canton got on the board in the top of the third inning, plating one run to cut the deficit to 6-1.
• Eastern Nazarene chalked up three runs in the fifth to extend its advantage to 9-1.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Francis Ferguson (Jefferson, Mass.) tossed a complete game gem on the hill, fanning nine batters to eclipse the 200-career-strikeout mark. Offensively, he registered two hits and three RBIs while adding two stolen bases.
• Elvis Rojas (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) notched two hits, three RBIs, one run scored, and two stolen bases.
• Frank Landeiro (Orlando, Fla.) finished with two base knocks, two runs scored, and one RBI.
• Matthew Serrata (Ozone Park, N.Y.) added two hits, two runs scored, and a stolen base.
• Michael Monteforte (Wilmington, Mass.) chipped in with one base hit, one RBI, a pair of runs scored, and one stolen base.

GAME TWO
THE BASICS:
Score: Eastern Nazarene 10, SUNY Canton 1
Records: Lions (12-19-1, 9-6 NAC) | Roos (3-31, 2-12 NAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Eastern Nazarene manufactured one run in the home half of the first inning to seize a 1-0 lead.
• The Lions produced seven runs in the fifth to stretch their advantage to 8-0.
• SUNY Canton picked up one run in the sixth inning to trim the gap to 8-1.
• Eastern Nazarene added a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth to claim a 10-1 lead. Anderson Jimenez (Lowell, Mass.) belted his third home run of the season, a two-run shot to drive in Francis Ferguson (Jefferson, Mass.).

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• O'Neil Jimenez (Lowell, Mass.) notched four RBIs, two hits, and one run scored.
• Anderson Jimenez (Lowell, Mass.) recorded three RBIs, two hits, two runs scored, and a stolen base.
• Francis Ferguson (Jefferson, Mass.) finished with two base knocks and two runs scored.
• Anthony Ventura (La Romana, Dominican Republic) added two hits, one RBI, and one run scored.
• Kelvin Cortez (Corona, N.Y.) pitched 1.2 innings in his second start of the spring and registered two strikeouts. Luke Descheneaux (Lowell, Mass.) worked 4.1 innings of relief and posted five strikeouts. Colby Rohr (Highland Village, Texas) threw one scoreless inning to close out the contest.

NAC TOURNAMENT ON DECK:
With the two wins on Saturday, Eastern Nazarene clinched a spot in the North Atlantic Conference Tournament. Postseason play begins May 9 at SUNY Cobleskill.