‘Cats Crush Hawks in Non-Conference Tilt

‘Cats Crush Hawks in Non-Conference Tilt

NORTHBOROUGH, Mass – After a conference double header on Tuesday night that didn't finish until after 10pm, the AMCATS were back on the field Wednesday afternoon for a non-conference game against Worcester area rival, Becker College, at the New England Baseball Complex. The AMCATS didn't look like that had left the field after 20 innings of baseball only 17 hours before game time as they beat up on the Hawks, 22-5.

For the AMCATS, their hit total matched that of their runs total, accumulating 22 hits in the game. Freshman outfielder Kino Gray had a career day at the plate going four-for-four with six RBI and three runs scored. He hit his second collegiate home run, a three run shot in the third inning. Gray was one of many AMCATS to have multi-hit games. Sophomore Jacob Zamora and Jake Crevier each had three hits in the game. Zamora had two doubles, drove in four runs and scored four times. Crevier doubled, drove in a run and also scored four times. Greg Gehring, Mike Tourony, Noah Holland, Nick Genatossio, and Jason Shell each had two hits in the game. Genatossio drove in four runs, Gehring drove in three. Tourony and Genatossio joined Zamora and Crevier in the doubles club, each doubling once in the game. Starting pitcher, Camden Brown, pitched five innings in the game. He gave up four hits, three runs, all of which were earned, and struck out two Hawk hitters. Brown earned the win in the game.

The Hawks produced seven hits on the day, two of which came off the bat of leadoff hitter Chris Testa who was two-for-three in the game with a homerun, two RBI and a run scored. Third baseman Noah Rivera also hit a home run in the game for Becker in a one-for-four day at the plate. Starter Nicholas Hawrylciw only got through 2.2 inning before being pulled from the game. He allowed just five hits but gave up eight runs, six of which were earned. He walked three AMCATS and didn't record a strikeout. Reliever Jack Snyder came in and pitched 2.1 innings and gave up six hits, five runs, and struck out two.

The AMCATS started the scoring in the bottoms of the second scoring three runs on an error, a Gray single and a Gehring fly out in foul territory down the right field line that scored Crevier.

The Hawks answered in the top of the third with a solo home run by Testa, cutting the lead to two, 3-1, after 2.5 innings of play.

In the bottom of the third inning the AMCATS would get that run back and then some. First, on a Zamora double, that scored Tourony and Holland who had reached on a hit by pitch and a single, respectively. Genatossio then sacrificed himself, bunting the runners to second and third. That's when Gray took advantage of the situation and the freshman hit his three run home run over the right centerfield fence, giving the hosts an 8-1 lead after three innings.

Again, the Hawks would grab a run back in the top half of the next inning, when Rivera hit his solo shot over the rice field fence to cut the lead to 8-2. Becker stopped the bleeding in the bottom of the fourth and gave themselves an opportunity to close the gap once again in the fifth and they did just that, on a Testa single, scoring Coby Hussey to cut the lead to five, 8-3 after 4.5 innings of play.

In the bottom of the fifth, the AMCATS added on to their lead once again on a Gehring double that score two and a Tourony single to score Gray, opening their lead up to the biggest of the day, eight runs, 11-3 after five full.

After getting through the top of the sixth relatively easily, the AMCATS poured on the runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, scoring nine more in the frame. The inning started with a Crevier double and then a Gray single to drive him in. Holland singled later in the inning to score Gray. With two outs in the inning, the AMCATS put their foot on the gas pedal and brought five more runs across on an error, a Shell single, another Zamora double, driving in two runs, and batting around, another Gray single that scored Zamora. When the dust had settled at the end of the sixth, Anna Maria saw themselves out to a 20-3 lead. The 17-run lead was their largest of the season which was previously 11 on multiple occasions.

In the top of the seventh, Ben Mazzone came off the bench for the Hawks and reached on a fielder's choice which brought in Hussey to score his second run of the game. Now a 16-run lead, the 'Cats added two more in the bottom of the seventh on a Genatossio double, bringing in Danny Grammel and Anthony Checo to take an 18-run, 22-4 lead.

Things slowed down from there and Becker plated one last run in the top of the ninth before Adam Twitchell retired the side and finished the game off, giving the AMCATS the 22-5 victory over the Hawks.

Anna Maria is off until Saturday when they will travel to Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut to resume GNAC play against the Falcons in a double header beginning at 12pm.