AMCATS celebrate Senior Day in style with record 22nd win

PAXTON, Mass. (04.30.11) – Sophomore Mike Guarnieri (Wallingford, Conn.) went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two runs driven in, as the Anna Maria College baseball team celebrated Senior Day by earning their program record 22^nd victory of the season with a 6-4 win over Newbury College at Quinsigamond Community College on Saturday afternoon. The AMCATS improve to 22-17 overall with their historic win, while the Nighthawks fall to 18-17 on the season.

Anna Maria honored upper classmen Craig Doyle (Worcester, Mass.), Andy Fallon (Worcester, Mass.), Michael Galvin (Rutland, Mass.), Jeff Kodys (Holden, Mass.), Jeff Lander (Gloucester, Mass.), Jim McNamara (Worcester, Mass.), Zach Rafferty (Worcester, Mass.), and Brendon Tivnan (Worcester, Mass.) as part of Senior Day. These eight seniors have been part of one the best program turnarounds in collegiate baseball team. The group joined an Anna Maria team that had earned just one win the previous season, and by the time they were juniors they helped the improve the team to a program-record 21 victories in 2010, earning the club's first-ever ECAC Tournament berth. Now seniors, they have already broken that program mark for wins while completely rewriting the AMC record books.

Doyle has been a four-year varsity member who recorded a .412 on-base percentage in 2010 and was selected to the Academic All-Conference Team twice. Fallon is AMC's all-time leader in stolen bases, ranking second with 103 runs scored. Galvin has been perhaps the program's greatest leadoff hitter, recording 125 hits and a program-record 107 runs scored. Kodys is Rafferty is currently leading the entire nation in strikeouts per nine innings, compiling 13.73 K's/9 and set the program's single season record for batting average against, holding opponents to a .165 mark in 2010. Kodys has been named to the Academic All-Conference Team each of the last two years and currently ranks second on AMC's all-time home run list. Lander is Anna Maria's all-time home run king and ranks second in career stolen bases, while also compiling a perfect 4.0 GPA. On the mound, McNamara is AMC's all-time leader in wins and strikeouts, while ranking second in hits, runs batted in, and doubles at the plate. Tivnan holds the AMC record for consecutive scoreless innings, tossing 21.0 scoreless frames this season while capturing two TCCC Pitcher of the Week Awards and one ECAC Pitcher of the Week Award in 2011. These players have undeniable mark on the program.

Guarnieri paced the Anna Maria offense with his game-high three hits, while McNamara went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI-singles. Junior Jeff Scafidi (Worcester, Mass.) earned the victory on the mound, surrendering just two earned runs while striking out five batters over 7.0 innings of work to improve to 3-2 on the year. Sophomore Justin Hyland (Spencer, Mass.) came in to record the final six outs, allowing just one unearned run while earning his first save of the season.

The Nighthawks were led by junior Alex Chetelat (Farmington, Conn.) who went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, an RBI, and one run scored. Junior Michael Dean (Wethersfield, Mass.) also recorded two base knocks, earning the 100^th hit of his collegiate career, while sophomore Russell DeMatties (Hamden, Conn.) and freshman Christopher Murphy (Griswold, Conn.) each added a pair of singles in the loss.

The AMCATS jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with solo runs in both the second and third innings, receiving RBI singles from both McNamara and Fallon.

The Nighthawks clawed back with a run in the top of the fourth. After a one-out double by Chetelat, Dean singled him to third before sophomore Kyle Schiavone (Wethersfield, Conn.) drove him in with a single through the left side to cut the AMC lead to 2-1.

The AMCATS responded with two runs in the bottom half of the frame and another run in the fifth. AMC received an RBI-double from Kodys and McNamara's second run-scoring singe of the game in the fourth before Guarnieri drove home Hyland with a sacrifice fly in the fifth, expanding the Anna Maria advantage to 5-1.

The Nighthawks fought back with an RBI-double from Chetelat in the sixth, before scoring an unearned run in both the seventh and ninth innings.

However, Hyland managed to close door and preserve the record-setting 6-4 victory for the AMCATS.

Anna Maria will return to action during the TCCC Championship tournament next week.

Photo Courtesy of David Sheridan for AMC Sports Information