Baseball Drop Two to Bulldogs

FRANKLIN, MA: On Saturday afternoon, the Anna Maria College Baseball traveled to meet the Dean College Bulldogs for a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) doubleheader at the Longley Athletic Complex.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Sunday, April 16, 2023
• Game 1: Anna Maria 3, Dean 4
• Game 2: Anna Maria 12, Dean 13
• Records: Anna Maria AMCATS 15-14 (9-3 GNAC) | Dean Bulldogs 8-21 (5-7 GNAC)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Game #1
  • The AMCATS did their damage early in the first game scoring two runs in the first and a single run in the second. Graduate student right fielder Jarrod Marifiote (Framingham, MA) drove in the first AMCAT run with an RBI ground out that scored senior designated hitter James Powers (Reno, NV) who had walked and advanced on a wild pitch and single by sophomore first baseman Jeremy Rosenberg (Boynton Beach, FL). Graduate student shortstop Kosta Drosidis (Holden, MA) then scored Rosenberg with a single into left field.
  • In the second inning, the AMCATS used a small ball approach to plate their run as freshman catcher Brady Aylward (Southington, CT) started the inning with a walk and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by senior center fielder Tommy Sasso (Charlton, MA). A Powers single into right field scored Aylward and gave the AMCATS a 3-0 lead.
  • The Bulldogs chipped away at that lead, scoring two runs in the fourth inning and one in the fifth inning before winning on a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh.
  • Graduate student right-handed pitcher Jack Marzec (Northbridge, MA) pitched the first five innings allowing three runs, one earned while striking out six in a no-decision.
• Game 2
  • The second game was an offensive affair as the teams combined for 25 runs on 25 hits.
  • Powers started the game with a walk. Two batters later he moved to second when Rosenberg was hit by a pitch. Marifiote then hit an RBI double to center field to score Powers. Drosidis reached on an error by the shortstop that scored Rosenberg before freshman second baseman AJ Guitron-Moore (Harbor Bay, CA) walked to load the bases. Two batters later a pair of AMCATS hit RBI singles. The first was Aylward who singled to center to score Drosidis and Marifiote and then Sasso scored Guitron-Moore with a single down the right-field line. The Sasso hit was enough to chase the Bulldogs starter from the game after only two-thirds of an inning. A mix-up between the new reliever and the catcher caused a passed ball that then allowed Aylward to score, capping a six-run first inning.
  • The AMCATS added to their early lead with a run in the second inning thanks to an RBI single back through the middle that scored freshman third baseman David Doherty (North Smithfield, RI) from second.
  • In the third inning, it was Doherty driving in the run with an RBI double to the left-center field gap that scored Joseph Castellano III (Holmes, NY) from second after he had walked to lead off the inning.
  • The Bulldogs clawed a run back in the bottom of the fourth, but the AMCATS responded with another run in the top of the fifth. With two outs, Sasso forced a walk and then stole second base. Powers then traded places with Sasso by doubling off the left field wall.
  • Three big innings for the Bulldogs gave them their first lead of the game. The hosts scored five in the fifth inning, another four in the sixth, and finally one in the seventh to take an 11-9 lead after seven innings.
  • The AMCATS weren't done though and used some old-fashioned pressure to cause some fielding errors by the Bulldogs to retake the lead. Rosenberg led off the inning with a single through the left side of the infield and then Marifiote was hit by a pitch. Drosidis then attempted a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over but the pitcher's throw to try for Rosenberg at third went high allowing Rosenberg to score and the runners to move second and third. Three batters after that Aylward scored both Marifiote and Drosidis with a seeing-eye single through the middle of the infield to retake the lead at 12-11.
  • The Bulldogs tied the game with an unearned run in the bottom of the ninth before winning on a walk-off home run in the 10^th.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Jarrod Marifiote's RBI double in the first inning of game two was the 100^th hit of his collegiate career.
• With four RBI in game two, Brady Aylward tied an AMCAT season high for RBI in a game. It was also the third time that an AMCAT has recorded four RBI in a single game, joining David Doherty at Lasell on April 2^nd and Jarrod Marifiote versus Rivier on April 15th.

UP NEXT:

Anna Maria will be back in action on Wednesday when they travel to Worcester, MA to meet the Worcester State University Lancers non-conference matchup at the Kevin D. Lyons Diamond at Rockwood Park. The first pitch is scheduled for 3:30 PM.

STAY CONNECTED:

For the latest on Anna Maria College Athletics, follow the AMCATS via social media on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.