Baseball Splits With Southern Vermont
BASEBALL SPLITS DOUBLEHEADER WITH NECC FRONTRUNNER SOUTHERN VERMONT
BENNINGTON, VT, April 11, 2009 - Elms College freshman shortstop Jonathan Ortiz (Carolina, Puerto Rico) went a perfect 3 for 3 with a home run, a pair of doubles and three RBI, while sophomore pitcher Matt Wood (Feeding Hills, MA) threw six solid innings to help the Blazers defeat Southern Vermont 10-2 in the nightcap of Saturday's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) baseball doubleheader at Epstein Field.
After dropping the first game 8-5, the Blazers pounded out 12 hits and scored in all but the final inning to send the host Mountaineers (8-16, 5-1 NECC) to their first conference loss of the year.
Freshman right fielder Zach Cerra (South Windsor, CT) smacked a two-run single in the first to give the Blazers a quick 2-0 lead.
Sophomore left fielder Bob Reyome (Westfield, MA) blasted a solo home run in the second, Cerra delivered a RBI groundout in the third, Reyome stole home in the fourth and Ortiz hammered a solo homer in the fifth - his second shot of the doubleheader - to push the Blazers' advantage to 6-1.
Elms College then put the game out of reach with a four-run, sixth that included a two-run double by Ortiz and a RBI single by junior designated hitter Justin Jacobs (Springhill, FL).
Wood was sensational for the Blazers, as he scattered three hits, allowed just one earned run and struck out nine in six complete innings en route to his second conference win in six days.
In the first game, Southern Vermont plated three runs in each of the first two innings then held off a comeback bid by the Blazers to claim the front end of the conference twinbill.
Freshman center fielder Donald Morse (Alfred, ME) banged his first collegiate homer - a solo shot - in the third and Ortiz hammered a two-run shot in the sixth for the Blazers, who were tagged for three errors in the loss.
Elms College returns to non-conference play when it hosts Williams College on Tuesday, April 14. Game time at MacKenzie Stadium is 7:30 p.m.