Baseball Beats North Central 21-5 in Game 1 of Two Game Split

DAVENPORT, Fla. - The Elms College Baseball team played North Central University, Minn. in a non-conference doubleheader on Sunday as a part of the RussMatt Invitational.

BASICS
Game 1
Score: Elms College 21 | North Central University, Minn. 5
Records: Blazers 1-2, 0-0 (GNAC) | Rams 1-2, 0-0 (UMAC)

Game 2
Score: Elms College 3 | North Central University, Minn. 5
Records: Blazers 1-3, 0-0 (GNAC) | Rams 2-2, 0-0 (UMAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1
The Blazers would begin the doubleheader with senior outfielder/pitcher Nason Busca (Windsor, Conn.) reaching base on an error by the North Central shortstop and would advance to second base on the error. Busca would then advance to third base on a wild pitch. During the next at-bat, sophomore Liam Pond (Holyoke, Mass.) would hit a double to left field to drive-in Busca for the first run of the game. Defensively, Elms would have junior pitcher Luke Guyer (East Granby, Conn.) take the mound. In the bottom of the first inning, the Blazers defense would keep the Rams scoreless and only allow two runners on base during the inning. In the top of the second, the Elms offense would load the bases after junior infielder Manny Essley (Duxbury, Mass.) would earn a walk, junior infielder/pitcher Andrew Ciaglo (Hadley, Mass.) hit a single to center field, and first year outfielder Anthony Osella (Manchester, Conn.) would be hit by a pitch. Then first year infielder Colin Faber (Suffield, Conn.) would reach base on a fielder's choice that would drive-in Essley for a run, followed by a single to left field by first year outfielder Ryan Piccola (Oceanside, N.Y.) that would bring Ciaglo across the plate. The Blazers offense would continue to roll following a walk to first year catcher Eliam Martinez (Dominican Republic) and back-to-back hit by pitches to Busca and Pond, with the later scoring Piccola for a run. NCU would stop the bleeding by recording two final outs, but Elms would hold a 5-0 lead after the inning. In the bottom half of the second, the Rams would get two runners on base with one out, but Guyer would strikeout the final two batters to keep their opponents scoreless. In the top of third inning, Ciaglo would begin the inning with a triple, followed by an Osella-walk that would then lead to Osella stealing second base. Ciaglo and Osella would both score shortly thereafter after Faber reached base on an error by the third baseman. Piccola would earn a walk, then would advance to second base on a wild pitch and Faber would score on that same wild pitch. As the inning would continue, Martinez would earn a walk, Piccola would steal third base, and Busca would hit a single past second base to drive-in Piccola. Martinez would score soon thereafter, when sophomore pitcher/infielder Brycen Diaz (Andrews, Texas) would strikeout swinging and tried to get to first base on a dropped third strike. In the bottom of the third inning, North Central would score two runs after hitting a two-run home run, but the Blazers defense would hold strong to end the inning. In the top of the fourth, the Elms offense would see Ciaglo earn a walk and advance two bases, followed by a walk by Faber, and Ciaglo would then be driven in for the only run of the inning after Piccola would reach base after an error committed by the third baseman. The Rams would record two base hits in the bottom half of the inning, but the Blazers defense would keep NCU scoreless in the inning. In the top of the fifth inning, the Elms bats would score nine runs; with B.Diaz hitting a two-run double to left field, Ciaglo driving in a run after an error committed by the third baseman, a one-run double to right field from Osella, Martinez hitting a one-run single to left field, a three-run double to right field from Pond, and another one-run double to left field by B.Diaz. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Guyer would strike out two more batters, one looking and the final batter would go down swinging. In the top of the sixth, the Blazers would score one run, following a hit by pitch to junior infielder/pitcher Jayden Maynard (Enfield, Conn.) that would see Osella cross the plate. In the bottom half of the inning, junior pitcher Tobias Marneau (Manchester, Conn.) would come into the game to relieve Guyer, where he would strikeout the first batter swinging and hold the Rams to a scoreless inning. In the bottom of the seventh inning, North Central would score three runs, but a ground out to first year infielder Adian Daugherty (Southwick, Mass.) would end the opening game and result in a 21-5 victory for Elms.

Game 2
Senior pitcher Colby Arnold (Waterford, Conn.) would take the ball for the Blazers in game two of the doubleheader. In the top of the first inning, the Rams offense would tally two runs for an early 2-0 lead, but Arnold would record a swinging strikeout in the inning. In the bottom half of the inning, NCU would keep Elms from reaching base in a one-two-three inning. In the top of the second, the Blazers defense would hold strong and walk away without giving up a run, with Arnold recording a second swinging strikeout. In the bottom of the second inning, junior catcher Nicky Calvanese (Longmeadow, Mass.) would hit a double to right field, but the Elms offense would not be able to score in the inning. As the game would continue into the third inning, Arnold would end the inning with a looking strikeout to sit the Rams down in order. Osella would hit a single to center field, but the Blazers would be handed another scoreless inning. The fourth inning would see both teams be held scoreless, with a single past second base by B.Diaz. In the top of the fifth inning, Arnold would record a final looking strikeout, but North Central would add three runs to the scoreboard. In the bottom half of the inning, Elms would once again be held to a scoreless inning, with a Faber double to right field. In the top of the sixth, sophomore catcher Alex Baeta (Bellingham, Mass.) would come into the game to relieve Arnold and he would strikeout the first three batters he faced looking. In the bottom half of the sixth, the Blazers would score after back-to-back singles from Busca and B.Diaz. In the seventh inning, the Rams would once again be given a scoreless inning, and the Elms offense tried to create a late rally, with two runs by Faber and Osella. Unfortunately, NCU would defeat the Blazers 5-3 to split the doubleheader.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Osella: four runs scored, two hits, with a double, a run batted-in, four walks, and a stolen base.

• Piccola: three runs scored, a hit, four runs batted-in, two walks, and a stolen base.

• Busca: two hits, three runs scored, a run batted-in, and two walks.

• B.Diaz: four hits, with two doubles, four runs batted-in, and a run scored.

• Martinez: two hits, two runs scored, a run batted-in, two walks.

• Ciaglo: four runs scored, two hits, with a triple, two runs batted-in, and three walks.

• Pond: five runs batted-in, three hits, with two doubles, and two runs scored.

• Faber: a hit, with a double, three runs scored, two runs batted-in, and two walks.

• Essley: a run scored, a hit, and a walk.

• Calvanese: a hit, with a double.

• Maynard: a run batted-in.

• Perez: a walk.

• Guyer: pitched five innings, with four strikeouts.

• Marineau: would pitch two innings, with a strikeout.

• Arnold: pitched five innings, with four strikeouts.

• Baeta: would pitch two innings with three strikeouts.

UP NEXT: The Elms Baseball team will return to Davenport, Fla. for a non-conference doubleheader against Alfred University on Tuesday, March 10th at 2:30 & 5 pm.

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