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Box Score 2 EMMITSBURG, Md. – For the first time this season, the Sacred Heart baseball team lost consecutive Northeast Conference games, falling 3-2 and 5-4 in a doubleheader at Mount St. Mary's on Saturday. The losses snapped a five game win streak and drops SHU's record to 14-21-1 and 7-4 in the NEC. The Mount improves to 8-25 and 6-9 in conference action.
Game One
Trailing 3-1 heading into the top of the sixth, Ted Shaw cut into the lead with a RBI double to score Victor Sorrento, who had led off the inning with a double himself. With a runner on second and nobody out, Jordan Lawson, who had relieved Chris Campbell after the Sorrento double, ran into more trouble when Cody Doyle singled with one out and Jesus Medina singled with two away to load the bases. In perhaps the most critical at bat of the game, Lawson managed to escape with the lead still in tact by getting the next hitter to fly out. He allowed a two out single in the seventh, but again a fly out ended the inning sealing the Mount victory.
Sorrento led the Pioneers at the plate, going 3-4 with the run scored. Medina was the only other SHU player with at least two hits, as he went 2-4.
Dan Schock produced the other run Sacred Heart run with a solo homer in the third.
Robbie Maguire went five innings in the loss, allowing seven hits and three earned runs.
James Cooksey pitched a perfect sixth inning striking out two.
For MSM, it was Zach Hostetter's solo home run in the fifth that turned out to be the game winner. Hosteetter joined Ryan Owens in going 2-3, as the two each drove in one run. Tommy Quealy drove in the other, while also scoring once. The save was Lawon's third of the season, as he finished the last two innings giving up four hits and striking out two. Campbell allowed six hits and two earned in his five plus innings of work.
Mount St. Mary's took the momentum early with two runs in the second inning, both of which came with two away. Quealy and Owens delivered back-to-back RBI base hits. Quealy first singled home Brendan Dabagian, who had singled with one out, and then came around to score on Owens double to left field.
Schock's homer brought the Pioneers within one. They then had a chance to tie in the fourth, but Sorrento was thrown out at home trying to score on a grounder to the first baseman. Sorrento had led off the frame with a single before advancing to third on a sacrifice by Shaw and a single by PJ DeFilippo.
Game Two
With the score knotted at three in the top of the fifth, Sacred Heart took the lead thanks to a RBI groundout by Sorrento that scored Short. The Pioneers took advantage of a Mountaineer error, as Short drew a base on balls with one out before moving up to third when Anthony Capozziello reached on an error.
The lead would not hold for long though, as MSM loaded the bases with no outs behind consecutive singles and a walk. That would be the end of the day for starter Medina, who was relieved by Dan Wertz. Wertz came in and induced a ground ball on the first pitch he threw, but the Pioneers were not able to make an out as they tried to throw out a lead runner. This proved costly when the next hitter grounded into a double play, scoring the go ahead run.
Another error almost proved costly in the top of the sixth. With two outs, Jake Friar's two out grounder was mishandled and he looked to make the Mount pay when he moved into scoring position on a stolen base. Schock then walked to give SHU two runners on, but again it was Lawson coming through with a strikeout to keep Mount St. Mary's on top.
To record his second save of the day, Lawson would have to work his way out of trouble once more in the final Sacred Heart at bat, as Jayson immediately gave the Pioneers a runner in scoring position with his leadoff double. Lawson struck out the next batter through, and then retired the final two on fly outs to give the Mountaineers the doubleheader sweep.
Keith Klebart went a perfect 2-2 in the loss, while Short also added two hits with two runs scored, a RBI, and a walk. Sullivan also scored twice and Capozziello drove in two. Medina lost his first game of the year after allowing four earned runs in four plus innings. He gave up four hits in addition to walking five. Wertz pitched the perfect inning of relief in the fifth before Cooksey came on for his second scoreless frame of the day in the sixth.
Lawson went the final 1.1 innings only allowing the Sullivan double for his second save of the day and fourth of the season. He relieved starter Kevin Myers, who won his first game of the year after pitching the first 5.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on sixth hits. After recording two hits in the first game, Owens added two more in the second, finishing 2-4 with a run and RBI.
This time it was SHU jumping out to the early lead, with Short and Capoziello recording successive RBI base knocks with one out in the first. Trailing for the first time all day, Mount did not take long to regain the lead. The Mountaineers scored all three of their second inning runs with two outs, as Medina walked his third batter of the inning for the first run. Owens then delivered the go ahead knock, as his RBI single to third resulted in another run when the ball was thrown away. Sacred Heart tied it immediately, as again it was Capoziello driving in a run, this time on a groundout. Sullivan, who had stole second and moved up to third on a Short single after getting on by way of a fielder's choice, came around to even the score at three.
The two teams complete their four game series tomorrow at 1 pm.
