Baseball Bested by JWU in GNAC Doubleheader

Worcester, Mass. – The Anna Maria College baseball team dropped a pair of Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) contest to Johnson & Wales University on Saturday afternoon at New Balance field. The Wildcats posted a 6-0 shutout victory in game one and a 9-1 win in the nightcap.

Anna Maria falls to 5-18 overall and 2-10 in conference play, while the Wildcats improve to 23-6 on the season and 5-2 in GNAC contests.

Game 1: JWU 6, Anna Maria 0

Johnson and Wales notched single runs in the first two innings on RBI hits by Jake Dickerson (Garnet Valley, PA) and Kory Ferullo (Rochester, NH) to hold a 2-0 lead after two complete.

Anna Maria's best scoring chance came in the bottom of the third inning. With one out sophomore Julian Diaz (Providence, RI) drew a walk from hurler Shawn Haugh (Tampa, Fla) and freshman Joshua Creamer (Groveland, Mass) followed with a single to put runners on first and second. After Matthew Leahey (Rutland, Mass.) flied out to centerfield, Corey Andrade (Mashpee, Mass.) stepped to plate and laced a single to left field, however Diaz was cut down at the plate on a relay from JWU's third basemen for the final out of the inning.

JWU would add three runs in the fifth and an insurance run in the seventh for the 6-0 final.

Haugh went the distance for the Wildcats, allowing just three hits and seven strikeouts. Creamer suffered his first loss of the season for Anna Maria, allowing five earned runs on nine hits.

Game 2: JWU 9 Anna Maria 1

The Wildcats grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the first as Jack Hocking (Hanover, Mass.) delivered a two-out 2-RBI single scoring Dickerson and Carlos Sanabria (Pawtucket, RI) who had reached on AMC's errors.

After a scoreless second and third inning, JWU got the bats rolling pushing four runs across the plate for a 6-0 advantage. Alex Pezzuto (Hastings, NY) stoked a 3-run home run to right field and Sanabria added a RBI double in the frame.

Anna Maria scored their only run of the day in the home half of the fourth inning. With one out John Sullivan (Southbury, CT) and Jonathan Roy (Worcester, Mass.) strung together back-to-back singles. Two batters later Sullivan scored when Carlos Ortiz (Worcester, Mass.) reached on a Wildcat miscue.

JWU would add an unearned run in the top of the fifth inning and tack two runs on the sixth for the 9-1 final.

Matthew Leahey allowed four earned runs on nine hits, striking out one and walking one to suffer the loss for Anna Maria. Aldo Morales (Havana, Cuba) earned the win for JWU allowing one run, striking out eight and walking two.

Anna Maria travels to Saint Joseph's College (ME) on Sunday for a GNAC pair beginning at 1:00 p.m.