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Recap | Box Score
Nighthawks Drop Home Opener to Mariners
The Newbury College baseball team dropped their home and New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) opener to Mitchell College, 11-1, Saturday afternoon.
Freshman starter Travis Wade (Portland, Maine/Deering) toed the rubber for the third time in 2011. He was dazzling in the top of first, catching Mariner catcher Anthony Santiago (Newark, N.J./Bloomfield Tech) staring at strike three. Wade only needed three pitches to dispose of Santiago then continued to retire the side by way of the strike-out to end the frame.
With the game all square at zero entering the bottom of the second, the Nighthawks finally got on scoreboard. Shortstop Russell DeMatties (Hamden, Conn./Hamden) led off the home half lining a rocket double down the right field line. Two batters later left fielder Michael Dean (Wethersfield, Conn./Wethersfield) drove in his team-leading 12th RBI of the season with a base hit into right-center to plate DeMatties for the first run of the ballgame.
Wade was solid for the first three innings of the contest. In the top of the third, he got out of a one-out, runners on first and second jam due to solid defense behind him. Mitchell second baseman Drew Rossi (Jessup, Penn./Valley View) attempted to score on a one-out single off the bat of third baseman Jeff Perillo (Newington, Conn./Newington) but right fielder Matthew Clawson (Tolland, Conn./Tolland) started a clean relay to throw out Perillo for the second out of the inning. Wade got right fielder Felix Colarte (North Bergen, N.J./North Bergen) to fly out to left to end the threat.
The Mariners got to Wade in the top of the fourth inning, scoring seven runs as they batted around. Colarte capped off top of the fourth with a bases-clearing, inside-the-park homerun to take a six run lead. They added to their lead, scoring two more runs in the next inning, spelling the end of the afternoon for Wade.
Mitchell starter John Apostolo (Queens, N.Y./St. Mary’s) went the distance, pitching complete seven innings allowing just one run on six hits while fanning five in the victory. Newbury junior Michael Gulla (Westbury, N.Y./Carle Place) came on in relief of Wade and pitched two innings allowing two runs – one earned – on two hits.
The loss drops Newbury to 6-7 on the season and 0-1 in conference action while Mitchell improves to 4-2 and 1-0 in the NECC. The Nighthawks and Mariners meet again tomorrow afternoon, Sunday, March 20th for a double-header in New London, Conn. First pitch is at 12:00pm.
- Photo by: Samantha Yanofsky
