Baseball Earns Double-header Split with Scranton University

FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Elms College baseball team used a seven-run third inning to seal a 10-5 victory in game one, before Scranton University notched a 3-1 victory in the nightcap as the sides split a double-header on Sunday at the Gene Cusic Classic.

With the split, Elms improves to 1-3 on the season, while Scranton moves to 5-4 on the season.

Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the third in game one, Elms exploded for seven runs in the home-half of the frame plating all seven runs with two outs. Junior centerfielder Steve Fisher (West Boylston, Mass.) was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning before a pair of Blazers struck out to give Scranton two outs. From there, senior catcher Rey Rivera (San Juan, Puerto Rico), sophomore right fielder Alex King (Lebanon, Conn.), senior second baseman Andrew Kravontka (Manchester, Conn.), sophomore third baseman Zach Dreher (Naugatuck, Conn.), sophomore designated hitter Felix Montalvo (Carolina, Puerto Rico) and Fisher each added RBI base hits, including double for King to put Elms ahead 7-2.

Scranton pulled to within three (8-5) with two runs in the top of the sixth, but an RBI walk by Kravontka and a run-scoring fielder's choice by Dreher in the bottom half of the stanza helped the Blazers seal their first win of the season, 10-5.

Elms' left-handed starting pitcher John Russell (Springfield, Mass.) earned his first victory of the 2012 season tossing 5.2 innings allowing five runs (three earned) on seven hits with a strikeout, while sophomore righty Derek Leal (Charlton, Mass.) pitched the final 1.1 notched a strikeout.

In game two, Scranton plated two runs in the bottom of the second and clinging to a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth, added an insurance run to pull away to a 3-1 victory.

An RBI single by King put Elms on the board as he drove in senior catcher Sean Shanley (Bristol, Conn.) who singled to lead off the fifth inning.

Junior right-hander Ryan Burnette (Chicopee, Mass.) went 5.2 innings on the hill and fanned five batters but suffered the loss to move to 0-1 on the season.

Elms is back in action on Monday, March 12 with a single, nine-inning game against Kenyon College at 9:00 a.m.