America East Baseball News & Notes Good Week for the League

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The weather is getting better and so are the results for teams in the America East Baseball Conference. Bryant University went a perfect 4-0 last week. At the same time, NJIT and UMass Lowell won their series. It has taken a few weeks, but the league is starting to head in the right direction with league play a week away. Here is a look at the good last week in the conference.

Bryant’s (5-9) perfect week started with a comeback win over Merrimack in Smithfield, RI. Down 8-0 in the seventh, the Bulldogs would score nine runs over the final three innings to pick up the 9-8 victory. The winning run was scored on a fielder’s choice sac bunt by leadoff hitter Gavin Greger who scored Tyler Horvat with the game-winning run. Out of the Bulldogs bullpen, Bradley Lewis, Colin Brodeur, and Zach Nichols went 3.2 innings of scoreless pitching to allow the bats to come alive. Nichols got the victory.

From there, Bryant swept a three-game series from Iona winning two tight games on Friday and Saturday before taking Sunday’s game by a 12-6 score. The Bulldogs won Friday’s night game on a wild pitch. Then over the weekend, used three long balls to help finish off the Gaels. Since the weekend, the Bulldogs have lost two in a row getting blown out by Stonehill 16-5 on Tuesday, then a 5-4 loss to Northeastern on Wednesday giving up three home runs to the Huskies. In the loss to Stonehill, a 7-run ninth inning fueled the 16-5 loss.

NJIT (5-10) went out West and took three of four from Cal Bakersfield. Friday’s 7-3 win was helped out by the bat of Albert Choi who went 4-for-5 with a triple and stolen base. Out of the Highlanders bullpen, Joe Georgini went four innings of three-hit one-run baseball to get the win. He is now 2-1. On Saturday, the two teams split a doubleheader. On Sunday, NJIT got more good pitching from Holden De Jong who went six innings and gave up a run on four hits. Choi had another multi-hit game with two hits and three RBI. Unfortunately, returning from the West Coast on Tuesday, NJIT met Seton Hall and took a 14-3 drubbing. Anthony Anzald (1-1) went 2.2 rough innings allowing seven hits and six earned runs. The Pirates had four crooked number innings to get the win.

UMass Lowell (5-10) spent last week in the state of Kansas. They played a series vs three in-state teams. K-State, Creighton, and Oral Roberts. The record for the week was not great at 2-6. But the River Hawks ended their stay in the state with a series win over ORU. After losing the first game of a Saturday doubleheader on a walk-off, game two was also heading in the wrong direction. Down 7-0, UMass Lowell came back and scored 10 runs to get a 10-7 win. From the River Hawks pen, Jacob Jette and James Capellupo shut down the Oral Roberts to the tune of 3.2 innings and two hits. Home runs by Fritz Genther and Roddy Hernandez keyed the comeback. On Sunday, the River Hawks finished the Kansas trip with a 16-3 win. UMass Lowell banged out 14 hits, six for extra bases. HRs by Sean O’Leary, a two-run shot in the seventh, and a grand slam home run by Connor Kelly in the 8th were the big blows. Michael Simes went five allowing five hits and three runs. Over the final 12 innings of that series, the River Hawks outscored ORU by a 26-3 margin. Hernandez leads the team in hitting with a .333 BA and is tied for hits with 18.

Carlos Martinez is tied for 6th in the nation with 10 doubles which leads the league. Bryant’s Carmine Petosa leads the league with 18 walks. That is tied for 29th in the nation. Gavin Noriega leads America East with seven home runs, which is tied for 25th in the country. Logan Haskell of Binghamton is the best in the league and tied for the best in the country in the toughest to strike out. In 35 plate appearances, he has yet to strike out. On the pitching side, UMBC’s Sam Downs has a 1.08 ERA, four runs, and two earned runs allowed in 16.2 innings pitched. He is 26th in the nation in ERA. Noah Lewis of Maine leads the league in hit batters with seven in 15.2 innings. He has made four appearances to date. The River Hawks have turned 14 double plays in 15 games. That is tied for 29th in the nation.

Next week it’s time to play conference games in America East.