AMCATS Sweep Newbury

PAXTON, Mass. – Sophomore Jeff Scafidi (Worcester, Mass.), junior Andy Fallon (Worcester, Mass.), senior Jeff Lander (Gloucester, Mass.), and junior Michael Galvin (Rutland, Mass.) all reached milestones as the Anna Maria College men’s baseball team swept Newbury College by scores of 14-4 and 16-5 in a non-conference doubleheader during Senior Day at Alumni Field on Wednesday afternoon. With the pair of victories, the AMCATS improve to 18-17 overall, while the Nighthawks fall to 5-20. 

Scafidi had three hits on the day, breaking the AMC program record for hits in a single season, which he set as freshman, and giving him 57 base knocks on the year. Fallon was 3-for-5 with five runs scored in the twin-bill, and reached the milestone of 100 career hits on a triple in game two. Lander also had three hits on the day, including the 12^th home run of his career, tying Andy Mathieu for the program’s all-time record. Galvin was 3-for-6 with a home run, four runs batted in, and five runs scored, giving him an AMC record 43 runs scored on the year. 

Seniors Michael Allard (Monson, Mass.), Judson Evarts (N. Ferrisberg, Vt.), Pete LaBelle (Gardner, Mass.), Jeff Lander, Derek Malkowski (Corbeil, Ontario), and JK Vaughn (Simsbury, Conn.) were honored before the second game as part of the Senior Day festivities, and each played a valuable role during the double-dip. Vaughn led the AMC offensive attack, going 4-for-6 with five runs scored and three runs batted, while Lander contributed his previously mentioned three hits and three runs scored. Evarts earned a walk in his only at bat and also started a 5-4-3 double play in the field, while Labelle earned the game one victory with three shutout innings. Malkowski closed the door with a scoreless seventh inning in game one, while Allard tossed three shutout innings to earn the save in the night cap. 

Freshman Kyle Schiavone (Wethersfield, Conn.) led the way for the Nighthawks going 4-for-5 with two home runs, two runs scored, and four runs batted in on the night. Sophomore Michael Dean (Wethersfield, Conn.) also had four hits in the doubleheader, while freshman Russell DeMatties (Hamden, Conn.) was 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored in the game one. 

DeMatties led off game one with a home run, as Newbury scored a run in each of the first three innings to build a 3-1 advantage.

The AMCATS answered with three runs in the bottom of the third, getting RBI’s from Scafidi, Jim McNamara (Worcester, Mass.), and Vaughn to take a 4-3 lead.

After both teams added runs in the fourth, the AMCATS pulled away with five in the fifth and four more in the sixth, including a two-run blast by Galvin. LaBelle held the Nighthawks scoreless over his three innings of work, while Malkowski shut the door in the seventh to take game one by the score of 14-4.

The Nighthawks got the scoring started in game two with a two-run shot by Schiavone in the second, but the AMCATS tied the score in the bottom of the frame, including Lander’s 12^th career home run.

Newbury regained the lead with three runs in the top of the fourth, including Schiavone’s second homer in as many at bats, to move the score to 5-2.

However, the AMCATS were able to respond once again, batting around to score eight runs, including a bases clearing double by Mike Guarnieri (Wallington, Conn.) to grab a 10-5 lead.

Allard came in to throw three scoreless innings, while the AMCATS tacked on one in the fifth and five more in the sixth to take game two by the score of 16-5.

The Nighthawks will return to action on Saturday, traveling to face Elms at 1:00 pm, while the AMCATS hit the road on Thursday to battle Emerson at 7:00 pm.