Hartford, CT: The Ramapo College baseball team split a pair of one-run games today against Amherst College at Murren Family Field/DiBenedetto Stadium on the campus of Trinity College. The Roadrunners move to 5-1 overall while the Mammoths now stand at 2-1 overall.
Game 1: Ramapo 4, Amherst 3 | Seven Innings
Ramapo starting pitcher
John Hacker (1-0) fired a complete game with three strikeouts and two walks. He scattered six hits and surrendered three runs (two earned). Amherst went up 2-0 after one inning of play before Ramapo tied the game in the second inning.
Nick Pellegrino led off the inning with a hard hit double to center field before moving to third on a passed ball. Dustin McGuiness and
Eric Knapp each worked a walk to load the bases before Pellegrino touched home plate when
James Zwolinski bounced into a 6-4-3 double play. With two outs and a two-strike out,
Zach Barbash belted a triple to center field which allowed McGuinness to score, 2-2. Ramapo took a 3-2 lead in the top of the third when Pellegrino drove home
Julian Schultz with an RBI single up the middle. The Mammoths tied the game at three in their half of the fourth inning with an unearned run before Ramapo came back to score the eventual game-winning run in the top of the seventh.
Casey Chiola led off the inning with a single before moving to second on a sac bunt from Schultz. Amherst induced an infield pop-up for the second out before
Zach Novakowski worked a four-pitch walk. Pellegrino then drove in Chiola with a single to left field for the 4-3 score. Hacker would work a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh with two groundouts and a flyout to left field to earn the complete game win. Pellegrino led the team at the plate finishing 3-4 with two RBI and one run scored.
Game 2: Amherst 5, Ramapo 4 | Nine Innings
In game two, Amherst earned the walk-off win in the bottom of the ninth inning as they pushed two runs across for the one-run win. In the first inning, Ramapo scored one run in the top of the first and one run in the top of the sixth before Amherst got on the board in the bottom half of the sixth.
Jack Tallent drove in
Julian Schultz with an RBI double to the left-center field gap in the first for the quick 1-0 lead. In the sixth, the bases were loaded with two outs before Knapp was hit by a pitch which allowed Tallent to score for the 2-0 lead. Tallent reached base earlier in the inning with a single. In the bottom half of the sixth inning Amherst would tie the game with two runs before Ramapo went up by one in the top of the seventh. Brandom Tauber worked a walk to lead off the inning before moving up one base on a sac bunt from
Melvin Matias. Schultz then singled to right-center field which put runners on the corners with two outs. Tallent then drove home Tauber with a double to right-center for the 3-2 score. Amherst answered with a run of their own to tie the game once again in the bottom of the seventh, 3-3. Ramapo plated their fourth run of the game in the top of the eighth. Knapp was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and moved to second on a sac bunt from pinch-hitter
Julian Caruso. Tauber then laced a ball down the right field line to once again put runners on the corners for Ramapo. Matias then put down a sac bunt which allowed Knapp to score for the 4-3 lead. The Mammoths came back with two runs in the bottom of the ninth to complete the walk-off win. Tyler McCord and Justin Orridge recorded back-to-back RBI singles for the 5-4 victory.
Tallent led the Roadrunners at the plate as he finished 3-5 with two RBI and one run scored.
James Kahn started the game on the mound for Ramapo working the first 5.2 innings. He struck out five, walked three and let up two runs and four hits.
Kevin Penny worked the middle 1.1 innings with two strikeouts, one walk while letting up three hits and one run. Carlo Lalomia, Jr. (0-1) took the loss in relief as he pitched the final 1.2 innings.
Ramapo returns to action on Tuesday, March 10
th when they travel to SUNY Maritime for a non-conference game at 5:00pm.
