Hyland’s HR Propels AMCATS to ECAC Championship

BEVERLY, Mass. -- The two teams who shared the rain-shortened ECAC Division III New England baseball title last year will face off in this season's championship game. The Anna Maria Amcats booked their spot in the final after a 9-1 victory over Framingham State on Saturday afternoon.

Anna Maria, seeded third in tournament, improves to 24-17 on the season and will meet the top-seeded Endicott Gulls in the championship, while the Rams of Framingham State end their campaign at 26-17.

The AMCATS did most of their damage in the first two innings when they jumped out to a 6-0 lead. The visitors got two runs in the first on a double by Carlos Ortiz (Worcester, Mass.). Mike Guarnieri (Wallingford, Conn.) added an RBI single to give the AMCATS a 3-0 advantage in the second and Anna Maria would double that lead in the same inning on a three-run homerun to right field by second baseman Justin Hyland (Spencer, Mass.).

Hyland was 2-4 on the day with four RBIs, adding a run-producing single to center in the sixth inning. The AMCATS grabbed two more runs an inning later, helped by an RBI single by left fielder Padraig Gilman (Leominster, Mass.).

Gilman was 3-4 on the afternoon and scored twice, while first baseman Matt Nelson (Framingham, Mass.) had a 2-5 day at the plate and was another of the five AMCATS with multiple hits in the game, as Anna Maria outhit the Rams 14-13.

Seven players on the Rams reached base with hits, five of them more than once, including Justin Forman (Watertown, Mass.), who went 3-4 on the day. Framingham State got their run in the fifth inning when right fielder Will Crofton (Hopkinton, Mass.) singled home center fielder Chris Blydell. Both Blydell and Crofton had 2-4 days for the Rams.

Jeff Scafidi (Worcester, Mass.) gave Anna Maria a five-inning effort, allowing one run on nine hits without walking a batter. Scafidi improved to 6-2 on the season, while Lucas Davis (Spencer, Mass.) who pitched the final four scoreless innings, allowing just four singles and collecting a strikeout, tallied his third save of the year.

Sophomore Matthew DiCato (Winthrop, Mass.) fell to 7-3 on the year after giving up seven earned runs on 12 hits in five and two-thirds innings of work.

The AMCATS and Gulls are set for a 3:20 pm start in the 2012 ECAC Championship game.

Release courtesy Endicott Sports Information.