Harwich, MA: The #3 Ramapo College baseball team defeated #6 Castelton College today 4-3 in an eleven inning thriller at the NCAA New England Regional at Whitehouse Field.
The Roadrunners advance to play game eight of the regional tomorrow night at 7:45pm against the winner of #2 Wesleyan College and #7 Curry College.
In the bottom of the first
Rob DeAngelis led off with a single up the middle before
Scott Shields moved him to second with a sac bunt. During
Joe Venturino's at-bat DeAngelis moved to third on a wild pitch. Venturio then ripped a 1-2 pitch back up the middle for the Roadrunners first run of the game and a 1-0 lead.
Castleton's Nate Swahn worked a one out walk in the top of the second before Jim Buckley laced a single down the right field line, putting runners on the corners with one out. Buckley walked before Ramapo starting pitcher
Walker Larson retired the side with a strikeout and fly out to end the Spartans' threat.
In the top of the sixth, Castleton got back-to-back one-out singles from Taylor Vile and Nick Swim before Dan Errico drilled a three-run home run over the left field fence for a 3-1 lead. The Spartans would get two more hits before Larson induced two strikeouts to end the inning to end the threat.
The Roadrunners loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth but could not push a run across as Spartan starting pitcher Devin Hayes recorded a strikeout and fly-out to end the threat.
In the bottom of the eighth, Peschiani drilled a two-strike two-out single to right field plating Shields and Venturino, who reached base on a single and double respectively, to tie the game at three. The Roadrunners put the winning run on base in the bottom of the ninth but Castleton got out of the inning to send the game into extra innings. Both teams got runners in scoring position in the tenth inning but neither could score.
In the bottom of the 11th,
Dan McEldowney ripped a leadoff single to left field before moving to second on a sac bunt from
Rich Policastro. DeAngelis then came to the plate and laced a single to left field allowing McEldowney to come around and beat the throw for the walk-off win for the Roadrunners.
Walker Larson went ten innings in the no decision for the Roadrunners as he struck out eight, walked two and scattered nine hits.
Brian Cottrell (3-1) earned the win in one inning of relief with one strikeout and only surrendered one hit. Ramapo belted out 13 hits in the game. Venturino finished the game 4-5 with one run scored and one RBI while DeAngelis was 3-6 with one run score dand one RBI. Shields finished the game with two hits and one run scored while four Roadrunners collected one hit a piece.
