ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– Eastern University Baseball trailed 8-6 going into the bottom of the eight inning of the MAC Freedom and home opener against the Manhattanville College Valiants. The Eagles needed a rally. They got that. And More. Eastern sent 17 men to the plate and scored 11 runs on nine hits to grab control of the game.
Shane Albertson struck out the side in the ninth to close out the 17-8 win.
It is the first double-digit scoring inning for the Eagles since they scored ten runs in the seventh against Gwynedd Mercy in April, 2013.
The big inning started innocently enough.
Craig Stanley flied out to center.
Shane Albertson ripped a single to left and
Angelo Kelly sliced a double into the left field corner. After
Brady DiGiacomo walked,
Timmy Gorton pounded a double to deep right-center field to tie the game at eight. With a right-handed pitcher with a low 3/4's delivery on the mound, the Valiants elected to walk the left-handed hitting
Andrew Boykin to face Joseph DeLosSantos. The senior third baseman fought off an inside pitch for a double just inside the right field line.
"DeLos is like that," Head Coach
Jed Morris said after the game. "He just brings so much energy and grit to the game. He crushed his first double (in the second inning) and then he came through with that tough at bat. That was a big moment."
Kyle Daddario followed DeLos Santos' lead and flared a single to right to drive in another run.
Jordan Laboy knocked in a run with his fourth hit of the day, a double to the fence in center. Stanley was hit by a pitch and Albertson doubled both runners home. Kelly slapped a single to left for his fifth hit of the day to put runners at the corners for DiGiacomo. DiGiacomo walked to load the bases for Gorton.
"Brady is so patient." Morris said of his rookie outfielder. "I gave him the take sign on a 2-0 count, and I realized I did not really need to do that. He has great command of the strike zone and is going to work for his pitch." DiGiacomo walked three times today and has a .684 OBP this spring. Gorton walked to drive in his sixth RBI of the day and to bring Boykin to the plate with no empty bases.
The senior first baseman had missed several games with injury and had yet to see a pitch he really liked. That changed in his final at-bat. Boykin laced a line drive to deep center to drive in Gorton and Kelly. Along with his 5-for-5 day, Kelly scored four runs to move into the second spot on Eastern's career list. He moved in front of André Butler who had 109 runs scored. Kelly now has 111.
Lost in the heroic eighth inning was a very good starting performance from senior right hander
Josh Freed. Freed allowed four runs on four hits through seven innings. He struck out eight hitters. Morris was pleased with Freed's aggressiveness and felt that he gained strength as the game progressed.
The Valiants scored four runs on five hits in the top of the eighth off reliever
Adam Perdue. Perdue gave up a lead-off home run and then struck out the next two hitters. Perdue went up in the count on each of the next four hitters, but each reached base as the Valaints hit for the cycle in the inning. Perdue retired the final batter in the inning on his third strike out of the day.
"Adam was attacking and making the pitches he needed to make to get ahead, " Morris said. "We really like that, but we are going to need to work on those pitches once he gets ahead." Perdue picked up the win in relief.
The Eagles scored single runs in the first three innings and scored three in the fourth. With his six RBI today, Gorton now has 81 on his career. He is one RBI behind Davis Murray for the fifth spot on Eastern's career list. Scott Renauro holds the Eastern record with 113.
The Eagles will host Manhattanville in a doubleheader tomorrow that will start at noon. The Valiants will be the home team in both games.
