HACKETSTOWN, N.J.– Eastern Unviersity Baseball pounded out 39 hits and 38 runs in a pair of one-sided wins at Centenary University.
Liam Clarke was 7-for-9 with five RBI's and five extra base hits on the day.
How It Happened:
WIth the weather a little warmer, the Eastern bats were ready to go from the jump. They posted four runs in the first and scored in each of the first six innings on the way to a 22-5 win in the opener. Clarke had RBI triples in each of the first two innings. After giving up three in the bottom of the third to see a lead shrink to 7-3, the Eagles responded with three in the top of the fourth to reestablish control. Freddie Yahn laid down a sacrifice early in the inning to put two runners in scoring position.
Shane Albertson delivered a two-out 2-RBI double to cap a four-run fifth, and the Eagles grabbed eight runs in the sixth.
Michael Gray went six to pick up the win in his first career start.
Dominique Johnson came on to pitch the bottom of the seventh.
The Eagles (2-1) scored three times in each of the first three inning and four times in the fourth on the way to a 16-3 win in the nightcap.
Mickey Foytik provided the fireworks early. The senior designated hitter blasted a three-run homer with one out in the first.
Clarke and
Brad Clemens each had RBI doubles in the second inning. After scoring three runs on two hits and an error in the thrird, the Eagles got three-consecutive RBI doubles in the fourth.
Zachary Belansek scored on an Albertson double, Albertson scored on a Clarke double, and Clarke came home on a Lawrence double. The Eagles posted ten extra-base hits in the nightcap.
Matt Poma earned the win with four solid innings. The sophomore right-hander allowed one hit and one run.
Riley Kiebach and
Steve Sattanino split the final three innings. Kiebach allowed two earned in one and a third and Sattanino struck out two while recording the final five outs.
Coach Renauro Says:
"Both games were a full team effort. We had a combination of productive at bats and pitching all day. I like to see us with a good number of extra-base hits. Liam had an unbelievable day. We saw that was coming. He made some adjustments durning batting practice and was ready to go."
"The pitchers did well getting a head of hitters today. We have spent the winter working on throwing all of our pitches for strikes, and we did that today. Gray did well in his first start. He didn't have his breaking ball in the first inning, which is unusual, but he battled and became more comfortable as the game went on. All our pitchers either came in ready to go or made adjustments to minimize their [Centenary's] opportunities."
Up Next:
The Eagles have a final pre-spreak break game north of the Mason-Dixon line when they play at Swarthmore on Friday. They will be in Myrtle Beach starting March 3.
