AUBURNDALE, Fla. - March 16, 2017 - The Colby-Sawyer baseball won both ends of a doubleheader against MCLA at the Lake Myrtle Complex on a sunny Thursday afternoon. The Chargers won game one 3-1 and game two 8-6 in eight innings.
Colby-Sawyer improves to 5-4 and will conclude its spring break trip to Florida tomorrow with two games against Springfield College. MCLA drops to 3-4.
GAME ONE - Colby-Sawyer 3, MCLA 1
MCLA played small ball in the first inning to put across the game's first run. Joseph Toledo was hit by pitch to open the game and moved to second on a walk. He then advanced to third on a sac bunt and came in on a sac fly to center from Brett LaBonte.
The Trailblazers threatened again in the fourth inning and loaded the bases with two outs. Colby-Sawyer pitcher
Chris Mitchell Jr. (Avon, Mass.) got out of the jam by striking out the next batter.
Colby-Sawyer took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth by plating a pair of runs thanks to a couple of MCLA miscues.
The Chargers added an insurance run in the sixth inning on an RBI triple from junior
Brendan Thurber (Ashland, Mass.).
MCLA opened the seventh with a single but it was quickly erased as Mitchell induced a ground ball double play. The next batter also singled, but was put out on a grounder from the next batter to end the game.
Mitchell improved to 2-0 after his complete game six-hitter.
Liam Nolan took the loss but did not surrender an earned run. He finished with seven strikeouts.
GAME TWO - Colby-Sawyer 8, MCLA 6 (8inn.)
The Chargers got off to a fast start with a run in their first at-bat when senior
Justin Devoid (Quechee, Vt.) doubled in junior
Doug Avellino (Woodstock, Vt.).
Colby-Sawyer added another run in the second when junior
Tim Donovan (Litchfield, N.H.) scored on a wild pitch.
MCLA then cut the deficit in half in the third inning on a sacrifice fly from Christian Seariac.
A pair of RBI singles from Avellino and senior
Nathan Frongillo (Haverhill, Mass.) in the top of the fourth gave Colby-Sawyer a 4-1 lead.
The Trailblazers then took advantage of some Colby-Sawyer miscues in the bottom of the fourth and plated four unearned runs to take a 5-4 advantage.
The lead was short lived as Colby-Sawyer responded with two runs in the fifth. Freshman
Tim Unczur (Danvers, Mass.) led off the frame with a single. Sophomore
Liam Datres de la Blotier (Shelburne Falls, Mass.) then put down a successful sac bunt moving Unczur to second, but he didn't stop there as he saw an opening at third base. Unczur forced a throw from the first baseman to third that went wide of the bag allowing Unczur to advance to home and tie the game. Junior
Joey Fenuccio (Keene, N.H.) later knocked in Thurber on a groundout to second to put the Chargers back in front 6-5.
In their final at-bat, the Trailblazers were able to find the tying run off the bat of Darrien Luckett who singled through the left side to score Ben Durland. With runners on first and second and one out, Colby-Sawyer junior pitcher
Chris Hood (Manchester, N.H.) was able to get out of the jam with a strikeout and a ground out to send the game into extra innings.
Colby-Sawyer wasted no time to regain the lead with two runs in the top of the eighth. Avellino singled in senior
Jackson Musco (Litchfield, N.H.) with the go ahead run. Avellino then came around for the Chargers' eighth run on a bloop hit from Devoid.
The Trailblazers got a pair of hits in the eighth, but one runner was caught stealing and the other was left stranded as Hood struck out the final batter to send the Chargers home with an 8-6 win.
Senior
Michael Fazio (Auburn, Mass.) pitched six strong innings and gave up just on earned run. Hood improved to 2-0 after two scoreless innings.
Avellino finished with three hits, three stolen bases, two runs and two RBIs. Donovan also had three hits, while Devoid added a pair.
Joe DiMassimo went 4-4 for MCLA.
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