Baseball Splits with Elmhurst on Sunday; Earns First Win of Season in Second Game

AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The Worcester State University baseball team split with the Elmhurst Blue Jays on Sunday, and came away with their first win of the season in the second game with a score of 4-3.

THE BASICS

March 18, 2018

Lake Myrtle Park #7

Records: Worcester State (1-8) | Elmhurst (5-3)

GAME ONE: Elmhurst 5, Worcester State 3

Elmhurst scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning when Austin MacMillan (Pendleton, Ind.) hit an RBI double to plate Reagan McReynolds (Aurora, Ill.).

Worcester State came back with two runs in the top of the second inning when Ben Palatino (Hudson, Mass.) hit a 2-RBI single to score Jimmy Sheehan (Oxford, Mass.) and Brandon Devin (Lynn, Mass.) who had reached on an error and walk, respectively.

The Lancers added to their lead in the top of the third inning when Kenan Kolanda (Sterling, Mass.) hit an RBI double for the 3-1 score.

Elmhurst rallied back in the fifth and sixth innings to take the lead and hold it for the 5-3 win. One run was scored on three hits and two Lancer fielding errors in the fifth inning. Then two runs were scored in the sixth on a hit and an error.

Mike Ferrara (Easton, Mass.) began the top of the seventh with a double to give the Lancers hope, however two strikeouts from relief pitcher, Alec Berry (Aurora, Ill.) ended the game with a 5-3 score in favor of the Blue Jays.

• Elmhurst's McReynolds batted 3-for-4 with three runs and an RBI.
• Trey Compton (Mount Prospect, Ill.) went 2-for-4 for the Blue Jays.
• Worcester State's Palatino and Ferrara batted 2-for-4 in the setback.
• Palatino led the Lancers with two RBI.
• Elmhurst's Berry earned the win on the mound in a two inning performance. In the two innings he allowed just one hit and no runs while striking out two. Starting pitcher Nick Drago (Naperville, Ill.) pitched five innings and allowed three runs (two unearned) and struck out five batters.
• Worcester State's Ryan Belinskas (Worcester, Mass.) suffered the loss in a 1-inning performance.

GAME TWO: Worcester State 4, Elmhurst 3

The Lancers earned their first win of the season in game two as rookie Sean Mahan (Woburn, Mass.) battled with Elmhurst's pitcher, Nathan Tovell (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) for the win.

In five innings pitched, Mahan only allowed three hits, two runs, and struck out two batters. Elmhurst's Tovell pitched six innings and allowed four runs (two unearned) and struck out five Lancer batters.

Worcester State started off with a 4-0 lead in the first four innings of play. Kolanda scored on a throwing error in the first, he then hit home Palatino for the second run in the third inning. Patrick Grow (Worcester, Mass.) hit a sacrifice fly in the third to score Kolanda for the 3-0 gain. In the fourth, Evan Fritze (Spencer, Mass.) scored on a throwing error to make it a 4-0 game.

Elmhurst attempted a comeback, but came up short as they were only able to score two runs on a 2-RBI double from Tyler Kledzik (Batavia, Ill.) in the fifth, and then a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

• Elmhurt's Kledzik and Colin Winston (Tinley Park, Ill.) each tallied two hits in the setback.
• Kledzik led with two RBI while McReynolds registered the other for the Blue Jays.
• The Lancers saw six hits in the second game, and they were scattered amongst six players (Palatino, Kolanda, Ferrara, Kevin Larkin, Chadd Richardson, and Devin)
• Worcester State's Mahan earned his first collegiate win on the mound in a 5-inning performance. Bradleigh Saltsman (Ayer, Mass.) registered the save in two innings pitched.
• Tovell was tabbed the loss in a 6-inning, five strikeout performance.

UP NEXT

The baseball team returns to Lake Myrtle Park on Tuesday (Mar. 20) and will face Bard in a 9 a.m. game at Lake Myrtle Field #5.

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