Baseball Begins Conference Play at St. Joseph's Maine

STANDISH, Maine - The Elms College Baseball team traveled to St. Joseph's College of Maine to begin conference play for a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon.

BASICS
Game 1
Score: Elms College 0 | St. Joseph's College of Maine 5
Records: Blazers 6-7, 0-1 (GNAC) | Monks 15-6, 2-3 (GNAC)

Game 2
Score: Elms College 3 | St. Joseph's College of Maine 8
Records: Blazers 6-8, 0-2 (GNAC) | Monks 16-6, 3-3 (GNAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1
In the top of the first inning, first year outfielder Raynel Rodriguez (San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic) would reach base on an error committed by the third baseman and first year Eliam Martinez (Dominican Republic) would earn a walk, but the Blazers would not be able to score in the inning. Junior pitcher Luke Guyer (East Granby, Conn.) would take the ball in the first game of the conference opener for Elms. In the bottom of the first, the Monks would score two runs to take an early 2-0 lead. In the second inning, junior infielder Manny Essley (Duxbury, Mass.) would hit a single and Guyer would strike out a batter swinging. In the third inning, junior pitcher Scott Cooper (Middletown, R.I.) would come into the game to relieve Guyer, but St. Joseph's would score, but in the same play, a ground ball would be hit to junior infielder/pitcher Andrew Ciaglo (Hadley, Mass.) who would toss the ball to first year infielder Colin Faber (Suffield, Conn.) then over to sophomore outfielder Liam Pond (Holyoke, Mass.) for a 6-4-3 double play. Martinez would begin the fourth inning with a lead off double to right center field. Sophomore infielder/pitcher Brycen Diaz (Andrews, Texas) would earn a walk and then both Martinez and B.Diaz would make a double steal, but the Blazers would not be able to score. However, the Monks would be able to score a run in the bottom half of the inning. In the fifth inning, Ciaglo would hit a single to left field and senior pitcher Justin Saad (Waterford, Conn.) would relieve Cooper, where he would end the inning throwing a looking strikeout. In the sixth inning, Martinez would start the inning by hitting a single through the left side of the infield and would steal second base, but St. Joseph's would add a run in the bottom half of the inning. In the top of the seventh, the Elms offense would try to rally some base runners late, but the Monks would defeat the Blazers 5-0 to win the first game of the afternoon.

Game 2
Sophomore pitcher Sal Ortiz (Springfield, Mass.) would start the second game for Elms. In the bottom of the first inning, Ortiz would strike out one batter swinging, but St. Joseph's would score two runs. In the second inning, Essley would hit a single to left field and Ortiz would end the inning with a second swinging strikeout. In the top of the third inning, first year infielder Aidan Daugherty (Southwick, Mass.) and Ciaglo would hit back-to-back singles, and senior outfielder Noah Scanlon-Dean (Hadley, Mass.) would earn a walk, but would be unable to capitalize to score a run. Then in the bottom half of the inning, the Monks would score three runs, to extend their lead to 5-0. In the fourth inning, B.Diaz would hit a single, senior pitcher Colby Arnold (Waterford, Conn.) would relieve Ortiz, and the Blazers would end the inning with a 4-6-3 double play, involving Daugherty, Ciaglo, and B.Diaz. The two conference opponents would go scoreless in the fifth inning, then in the sixth inning, Martinez would hit a double to center field and would advance to third base on a passed ball. Elms would also see junior pitcher Ryan Ziegler (Uncasville, Conn.) relieve Arnold, but St. Joseph's would add three runs to further extend their lead, 8-0. In the seventh inning, senior outfielder/pitcher Nason Busca (Windsor, Conn.) would hit a single through the left side. Then in the eighth inning, B.Diaz would relieve Ziegler on the mound and would end the inning in a third double play, involving Daugherty, Ciaglo, and Pond. Then in the ninth inning, Pond and Essley would each hit a single and B.Diaz would be hit by a pitch to load the bases. Busca and junior catcher Nicky Calvanese (Longmeadow, Mass.) would each drive in a run after being walked. Essley would score shortly thereafter, but the Monks would be able to record the third out before the Blazers would be able to add any more runs, and would defeat Elms 8-3.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Martinez: three hits, with two doubles, two stolen bases, and a walk.

• B.Diaz: a hit, a run scored, two walks, and a stolen base at the plate, would pitch an inning, and would be involved in a double play in the field.

• Essley: three hits and a run scored.

• Ciaglo: two hits and a walk at the plate, and would be involved in three double plays in the field

• Busca: a hit, a run batted-in, and a walk.

• Calvanese: a run batted-in, and a walk.

• Daugherty: a hit at the plate and would be involved in a double play in the field.

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

• Cooper: would pitch two innings.

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

• Ortiz: would pitch three innings, with two strikeouts.

• Arnold: would pitch two innings.

• Ziegler: would pitch two innings.

• Pond: a hit, a run scored at the plate, and would be involved in two double plays in the field.

• Scanlon-Dean: a walk.

• Faber: would be involved in a double play in the field.

UP NEXT: The Elms Baseball team will travel to Brighton, Mass. to play Lasell University for a conference doubleheader on Thursday, April 2nd at 1 & 3:30 pm at Boston College's Eddie Pellagrini Diamond.

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