Schiavone Caps Off Late Inning Rally to Give Nighthawks First Victory of 2010

Freshman Kyle Schiavone capped off a three-run ninth inning with a walk-off, two-out single down the third base line scoring Michael Dean to give the Nighthawks the 8-7 come from behind victory.

Sophomore Patrick Curry initiated the rally with a one-out base hit followed by a walk to classmate Alex Chetelat. A homerun shy of the cycle, sophomore Michael Dean rocketed a triple down the right field line, driving in Nick Dunn, who pinch-ran for Curry following his single, and Chetelat to tie up the contest at seven.

Drew University starter Ben Lynch struggled with control problems early. He walked sophomore second baseman Curran Shane on four pitches and lost senior Hayato Iwahori. Chetelat kept the inning alive for the Nighthawks driving a base hit back up the middle to plate Shane with the game’s first run. Dean followed, lining a frozen rope down the third base line to bring home Chetelat and then came around to score as freshman Robert Atkinson was safe on first baseman Matt McGrath’s error. Schiavone drove in Atkinson for the final run of the first.

After struggling with control problems himself, sophomore Michael Gulla settled down in the third inning, retiring the next seven of eight Ranger batters since walking Neil Cashes in the second. But the Rangers got to him in the top of the fifth for seven runs.

Cashes began the inning lining a triple down the first base line. After a walk to Michael Bodden, Chris DelMaestro plated Cashes from third with a single. The Rangers would get another run in the inning as McGrath grounded into a double play but in the back-door came Bodden for the second run.

Gulla turned the game over sophomore Steven Saia after hitting Sharp for the second time in as many plate appearances and walking David Kaplow to load the bases. Saia fell behind walked his first two batters including the game-tying run as Drew batted around in the inning. Batting for the second time in the inning, Cashes cleared the bases, lining a triple into the right field corner to put the Rangers up 7-4.

But the Nighthawks answered in the bottom of the frame. Lynch started off the inning hitting Iwahori then gave up a base hit up the middle to Curry as Iwahori scampered to third on the play. Chetelat drove in Iwahori with a liner to left for his second RBI of the game as Newbury knocked Lynch out of the ballgame.

Against new Drew pitcher Doug Veterano the Nighthawks loaded the bases but Veterano was able to get through the inning due to solid defense from his right fielder. With the bases loaded and no one out, Steve De Bonis retired Atkinson for the first out and caught Curry trying to score for the second out of the inning. Despite letting one inherited runner score, Veterano got freshman Joseph Guidi to ground into a fielder’s choice to end the threat.

Before Schiavone’s walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth, sophomore Steven Saia, retired the side in order in the top of the inning. Despite the tough fifth, Saia pitched solid and kept the Nighthawks in the game for 4.1 innings.

The walk-off win marks Newbury’s first victory of the season. They look for win number two tomorrow when they face Colby-Sawyer College.