Baseball Outlasted By Dubuque, 13-11

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Elms College sophomore right fielder Robert Reyome (Westfield, Mass.) went 3 for 4 with two doubles and a triple, but the University of Dubuque held on for a 13-11 win in Tuesday afternoon’s baseball game at the Gene Cusic Classic in Fort Myers.

With the loss, Elms falls to 2-3 overall, while Dubuque improves to 3-0.

Clinging to a 12-11 lead in the top of the ninth, Dubuque plated an insurance run, and Orlando Mejia (Helendale, Calif.) sealed the victory in the bottom half of the stanza, completing his third frame of relief to earn the win.

Elms trailed 7-0 heading into the home half of the fourth inning before putting across five runs to climb to within two at 7-5. Back-to-back singles by sophomore catcher Reynaldo Rivera (San Juan, Puerto Rico) and senior left fielder Brian Marrero (Kendall Park, N.J.) and a fielder’s choice by junior first baseman Hector Roche (Bronx, N.Y.) set up an RBI double by Reyome. An RBI walk by sophomore second baseman Andrew Kravontka (Manchester, Conn.) plated the team’s second run, before freshman centerfielder Steve Fisher (West Boylston, Mass.) drew a free pass that sent Reyome full circle. Junior shortstop Brendan Cordeiro (Berkley, Mass.) kept the rally alive when he was hit by a pitch, allowing junior designated hitter Ramon Sosa (San Juan, Puerto Rico) to score. Rivera then reached on an error sending Kravontka home with the fifth run of the frame.

Dubuque got a run back in the fifth before Elms took the lead in the bottom of the sixth with its second five-run stanza of the contest.

Kravontka led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a passed ball. Fisher singled, sending Kravontka to third before Cordeiro was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Sophomore third baseman Nicolino Iavicoli (Hampden, Mass.) drove in a run on a fielder’s choice leaving the Blazers with runners on the corners. Sophomore catcher Sean Shanley (Bristol, Conn.) then delivered an RBI single before Roche smacked a two-run double to put Elms on top, 9-8. Reyome capped the frame with a three-bagger scoring Roche to give the Blazers a 10-8 edge.

Dubuque answered with two runs in the seventh and a pair in the eighth to regain the lead, 12-10.

Elms narrowed its deficit to one in the bottom of the eighth thanks to an RBI base hit by Sosa but the Blazers could get no closer.

Fisher finished 3 for 5 on the day, while Shanley, Marrero and Kravontka notched two hits each. Roche and Reyome each finished with two RBI in the losing effort.

Sophomore pitcher Andrew Bunger (Southington, Conn.) started on the hill for the Blazers and struck out three, while junior Carm Bonavita (Springfield, Mass.) pitched three frames of relief and suffered the loss.

Dubuque’s Andrew Danna (Antioch, Ill.) paced the offensive attack, going 3 for 5 at the plate with a double and three RBI. Three other Spartans registered three hits to help secure the victory.

Elms continues action at the Gene Cusic Classic on Wednesday, March 10 with a double header against Finlandia University. First-pitch of game one is set for 10:00 a.m., with the second game slated for a 1:00 p.m. start.