Baseball Sweeps Thomas in Doubleheader

DAVENPORT, FL - The Blazers swept Thomas College (ME) in a doubleheader in the RussMatt Invitational at Northeast Regional Park Monday night.

BASICS
Game 1
Score: Elms College 10 | Thomas College 6
Record: Blazers 2-3 , 0-0 (GNAC) | Terriers 0-2, 0-0 (NAC)

Game 2
Score: Elms College 9 | Thomas College 8
Record: Blazers 3-3, 0-0 (GNAC) | Terriers 0-3, 0-0 (NAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1
The Blazers got on base easily to start, as two Blazers were hit by a pitch and advanced into scoring position to set the Blazers up early. Elms capitalized on this opportunity when junior Camron Watkins (East Haddam, CT) drove in graduate student Josh Pasini (Enfield, CT) to take a 1-0 lead. Thomas answered right back in the first, as an RBI single tied the game at 1-1. Elms struck again in the top of the second inning, as junior Felix Gutierrez (Holyoke, MA) scored off of Pasini's hit to take the lead back. Thomas took back the lead in the bottom of the third, scoring two runs off Elms senior Kyle Sebastyanski (Auburn, MA) to take a 3-2 lead. However, Elms scored four runs in the following half inning, most notably off of senior AJ Cook's (Mendon, MA) two-run triple to take a 6-3 lead. Thomas scored again on the Blazers defense in the next half inning, keeping the game close at 6-4. The Terriers would strike again in the bottom of the fifth inning, scoring on a fielder's choice and sacrifice fly to tie the game at 6-6. The Blazers came out aggressively in the top of the sixth inning, Pasini and Cook both stole bases to set up graduate student Tyler Galenski (Wilbraham, MA) for a 2 RBI double. Gutierrez and Cook would both record another RBI in the next half inning, and senior Vinny Buono (Springfield, MA) came on in relief for Elms to deliver two shutout innings to give the Blazers a 10-6 win. 

Game 2
Elms started off on a tear on offense, scoring 4 runs in the first inning to give themselves an early lead. Senior Justin Miller (Prospect, CT) drove in Guiterrez and Cook for a two-run double, which was followed by an RBI single by sophomore Trevor Nohilly (Bristol, CT). Thomas College would not respond until the third inning, as the Terriers recorded an RBI single, double, and triple to tie the game back up at 4-4. Elms had no answer for the Terriers offensively and defensively, as Thomas would score three more runs off of an RBI single and a groundout in which the Blazers failed to prevent Thomas from scoring. Now down 7-4, the pressure was on the Blazers to score some more runs. Elms took care of business in the top of the fifth, and in the bottom half of the inning, the Blazers would take their lead back. Galenski would score off of a pitching error, and Nohilly would drive in another run. A couple Blazers would take advantage of Thomas' pitching troubles, as senior CJ Moriarity (Glastonbury, CT) would drive in a run, and score along with senior Seamus Higgins (Rutland, MA) on a passed ball, which would put Elms back on top 9-7. Junior Devin Kazarian (Westerly, RI) came on in relief in the sixth inning, only allowing one run to keep the Blazers in the lead 9-8. Senior Camden Murphy (Berlin, CT) would close out the game for the Blazers, as Elms' late pitching gave them the 9-8 win.

UP NEXT: The Blazers will be back in action in Florida again on Wednesday March 6, with a doubleheader at 9:00 and 11:30 A.M. against Penn State-Brandywine.

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