FREDERICK, Md. – Eastern Baseball came through in the clutch on Saturday, earning a vital MAC Commonwealth doubleheader sweep over Hood College with 4-3 and 11-8 victories. The Eagles (12-18, 5-9) rode a gutsy start from
Graham Adams, timely hitting from
Justin DiCesare, and shutdown relief efforts to take game one. In the second contest, Eastern powered through an early Blazers rally, plating three runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to seal the sweep.
Adams came out firing in the opener, working out of a second-inning jam with runners on second and third by inducing a fllyout to center. The Eagles' offense immediately capitalized. With two outs and runners on the corners, DiCesare stepped up and smashed a two-run double to left, giving Eastern a 2-0 lead.
After Hood cut the lead in half with a run in the third, the Eagles answered right back. DiCesare drove in his third run of the day with a sacrifice fly, and
Leyton Bamesberger followed with one of his own to push the lead to 4-1.
The Blazers tried to claw back, scoring once in the fifth and again in the sixth, but Eastern's bullpen came through.
Ethan Gwara navigated a bases-loaded jam, limiting the damage to one run, and
Dylan Labukas locked down the seventh to earn his first save of the year.
Adams (3-1) earned the win with a five-inning performance, allowing just two earned runs while striking out four. Offensively,
Thomas Kozlusky collected two hits, while DiCesare,
Jaden Taylor,
Matthew Gonglik, and
Luke Meehan each chipped in with one.
Eastern wasted no time getting on the board in game two, taking advantage of a pair of Hood errors to jump ahead 2-0. Kozlusky added an RBI groundout and
Robert Del Buono legged out an infield RBI single to make it 4-0 by the top of the second.
Hood battled back with two runs in the second and tied it at 5-5 after a five-hit barrage in the third. But the Eagles responded with resilience and firepower.
Kozlusky launched a go-ahead solo shot—his second homer of the season—in the fifth to spark a two-out rally. Gonglik followed with a two-run single, and Eastern reclaimed control with an 8-5 lead.
Brennan Moloughney (3-2) wrapped up his day by throwing a scoreless fifth, and the Eagles piled on three more runs in the sixth. A Blazers miscue and Bamesberger's third home run of the season—a two-run blast—gave Eastern breathing room.
Hood tried to mount a comeback, scoring three across the seventh and eighth innings, but
Roy Corso slammed the door with a perfect ninth. The senior left-hander retired the side with two popups and a strikeout to notch his first save of the season and secure the sweep.
Kozlusky and Gonglik combined for four hits and five RBIs in the nightcap, while Del Buono drove in two more. Moloughney picked up his third win with a solid five-inning outing, striking out four.
The Eagles wrap up the season series with Hood on Sunday afternoon in Frederick. First pitch is set for 12 noon.
