Baseball Tops Southern Vermont College, 15-1

WAPPINGERS FALLS, N.Y. – The Elms College baseball team scored seven runs in the top of the fifth inning to help the Blazers stake a 15-1 victory over Southern Vermont College in Thursday afternoon's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) baseball game at Dutchess Stadium in Wappingers Falls, N.Y.

With the win, Elms improves to 12-18 on the season, 8-10 in league action and advances into the NECC Championship tournament as the fourth seed. The Blazers will take on top-seeded Mitchell College at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, May 2 in New London, Conn. Southern Vermont moves to 15-19 on the season, 8-10 in NECC play.

In the top of the first inning, junior center fielder Brady Forrest (Hampden, Mass.) led off with a single up the middle, stole second and then moved to third on a groundout off the bat of sophomore shortstop Nolan Medeiros (Taunton, Mass.). A base hit to shortstop by senior catcher Zach Dreher (Naugatuck, Conn.) plated the first run of the contest before a double play got Southern Vermont out of the jam.

In the top of the second, Elms loaded the bases when freshman first baseman Jordan Zima (Berlin, Conn.) and senior right fielder Alex King (Lebanon, Conn.) connected for back-to-back singles followed by a hit by pitch to freshman left fielder Tim Gelzinis (North Dighton, Mass.) to load the bases. Sophomore second baseman Aedin Wadja (Lebanon, Conn.) legged out an RBI infield hit before Forrest cranked a one-out bases-clearing triple to left field to give Elms a 5-0 lead.

In the bottom of the third, Quinten Scot (Ashaway, R.I.) led off with an infield hit to the right side, advanced to second on a groundout, moved to third on a base hit up the middle by Richard Rios (Pico Rivera, Calif.) and scored on a Blazes' outfield miscue to give Southern Vermont its first run of the game and set the score at 5-1.

Elms added to its lead in the top of the fifth when Medeiros drew a one-out free pass, advanced to second on a single through the right side by Dreher and then scored on single down the left field line by senior designated hitter Sam Farnsworth (Westfield, Mass.) to set the score at 6-1. A walk to junior third baseman Geoff Frost (Ludlow, Mass.) loaded the bases before Zima and King delivered back-to-back run-scoring singles to push the lead to 8-1. Gelzinis followed with a bases clearing double down the left field line to give the Blazers an 11-1 cushion.

Southern Vermont reliever Joshua Hay (South Glens Falls, N.Y.) entered in relief of starter Chris Bradt (Albany, N.Y.) and allowed a sacrifice fly to Wadja to make it 12-1, and a walk to Forrest before getting out of the inning when Forrest was caught stealing second.

In the top of the sixth stanza, Medeiros doubled down the left field line and then moved to third on a passed ball following a walk to Farnsworth. A Frost single to right field drove in Medeiros before a double play ended the frame with the score set at 13-1.

Sal Sciara (Massapequa, N.Y.) got things going for the Mountaineers in the bottom of the sixth when he ripped a leadoff triple to right field. Elms' sophomore starter Andrew Sadowski (Northampton, Mass.) then forced a lineout and a pop out to give the Blazers two out before Cody LaBadia (Howes Cave, N.Y.) earned a free pass to give Southern Vermont runners on the corners. Sadowski then dealt his fifth strikeout of the game to keep the score at 13-1.

Elms threatened to add to its advantage in the top of the seventh when sophomore R.J. Lyrenmann (Glendale, Ariz.) and Wadja drew back-to-back one out walks, but a beautifully executed 6-4-3 double play orchestrated by Chris Nicastro Jr. (Kenilworth, N.J.) and RJ Pingitore (Amsterdam, N.Y.) allowed the Mountaineers to get out of the inning.

The Blazers tacked on another run in the top of the eighth when Farnsworth cracked a two-out double and then scored on a base hit to left by Frost to give Elms a 14-1 lead.

In the top of the ninth junior Kevin Dwire (Ellington, Conn.) singled and scored a run on a double down the left field line by Forrest to make it 15-1.

Sadowski (3-3) earned the victory allowing just one unearned run on four hits in six innings of work. He struck out five and walked one.

Bradt suffered the loss for Southern Vermont and moves to 0-3 on the season.

Elms' junior Sean Cavanaugh (Wilbraham, Mass.) pitched a scoreless seventh frame, freshman Cody Lemieux (Torrington, Conn.) tossed a scoreless eighth inning and junior Sean Sinnott (Granby, Conn.) closed out the win with a scoreless ninth.

Forrest was 3 for 5 with four RBI and a run scored, while Gelzinis was 1 for 2 and drove in three. King, Zima, Frost, Farnsworth and Dreher each had two hits for Elms in the winning effort.

The Mountaineers were limited to just four hits as Sciara, Scot, Rios and Roland Hernandez (Pico Rivera, Calif.) each collected a hit.