Scafidi shines as AMCATS top Bears to advance to ECAC Championship finals

Beverly, Mass. – Junior Jeff Scafidi (Southbury, Conn.) allowed one run on four hits while striking out six to push #7 Anna Maria into the ECAC New England Championship game with a 2-1 win over #6 Coast Guard at Endicott College's North Athletic Field Saturday afternoon.

Scafidi carried a two-hitter into the ninth inning before Coast Guard threatened by loading the bases with nobody out.  The AMCATS made the call to senior right-hander Zach Rafferty (Worcester, Mass.) to get them out of the jam.  Rafferty got his first batter to ground out before striking out the next two to end the game.

Anna Maria (26-19) will play top-seeded and host Endicott on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. with the title on the line.  The conference foes are quite familiar with one another already, having played twice during the regular season and twice more during the conference tournament.  The two sides split in their first two meetings before the Gulls took two from the AMCATS in the playoffs.

Coast Guard (21-16) struggled offensively until its final at-bats, when it pieced together what looked to be a late rally.  With only two hits entering the ninth, the Bears looked poised for a comeback before Rafferty shut the door to pick up his second save of the season.  The top of the order did all the damage for Coast Guard, led by Eric Gerken's (Tampa, Fla.) lone run.

Jeff Kodys (Holden, Mass.) and Justin Hyland (Spencer, Mass.) scored runs for the AMCATS while Mike Guarnieri (Wallingford, Conn.) and Andrew Dupre (Northbridge, Mass.) each tallied an RBI.

The Bears' Jesse Karr (Milan, Mich.) was similarly effective on the mound and scattered six hits in 7.1 innings of work.  Karr (5-5) allowed just two earned runs and struck out three in the setback.

Both teams went scoreless through the first six innings until Anna Maria put a run on the board in a three-hit seventh.  Guarnieri and Kodys led off the inning with consecutive singles.   Three batters later, Dupre hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield to score Kodys from third.

Guarnieri promptly doubled the lead in the top of the eighth with a sac fly to left field to drive in Hyland, who led off the inning with a walk.

Rafferty's clutch pitching complimented a strong effort from Scafidi, who improved to 5-2 with the win.

Photo Courtesy of David Sheridan for AMC Sports Information

Release Courtesy of Endicott Sports Information