Kosta Drosidis Records 200th Hit as Baseball Splits with Chargers

MARLBOROUGH, MA: On Friday afternoon, the Anna Maria College Baseball team hosted the Colby-Sawyer College Chargers for a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) doubleheader at Marlborough High School.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Friday, April 21, 2023
• Game 1: Colby-Sawyer 4, Anna Maria 3
• Game 2: Colby-Sawyer 2, Anna Maria 18
• Records: Colby-Sawyer Chargers 7-22 (4-10 GNAC) | Anna Maria AMCATS 16-16 (10-4 GNAC)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Game #1
  • The Chargers were the first ones on the scoreboard in the top of the third inning but the AMCATS responded with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to left field by freshman AJ Guitron-Moore (Newport Harbor, CA). The Chargers took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth inning and then extended that lead to 3-1 with another run in the top of the sixth.
  • In the bottom of the sixth, the AMCATS cut the lead back to two when freshman Dominic Brown (Sturbridge, MA) hit a pinch-hit RBI single to center field to score freshman catcher Brady Aylward (Southington, CT).
  • In the top of the seventh, the Chargers would score what would end up being a much-needed insurance run. In the bottom of the frame, the AMCATS loaded the bases on a walk to graduate student right fielder Jarrod Marifiote (Framingham, MA), and a pair of hit batsmen in sophomore first baseman Jeremy Rosenberg (Boynton Beach, FL) and Guitron-Moore. Freshman pinch hitter Dylan Hammons (Centerville, MA) then hit a soft ground ball to the shortstop that was too slow for the shortstop to pick up and get anyone and got the AMCATS within one run with the bases still loaded. Aylward gave the AMCATS hope with a lined shot off the pitcher's glove, but an excellent fielding play by the Chargers' third baseman got the AMCATS catcher by half a step in a close play at first base to finish the game.
  • Junior starting pitcher Anthony Pingeton (Charlton, MA) threw his second complete game of the season in taking the tough-luck loss and falling to 6-2 on the season. Pingeton struck out seven over seven innings while allowing four runs, three earned.
• Game 2
  • In the second game, the AMCATS wasted little time in blowing the game wide open after spotting the Chargers two runs in the top of the first. The AMCATS responded by batting around, scoring eight runs, and driving the Charger starting pitcher from the game all before committing their first out. The AMCATS got RBI singles from Marifiote, Rosenberg, junior second baseman Christian Villa (Concord, CA), and Guitron-Moore to take a 4-2. Brown then walked to load the for Aylward and the freshman catcher drove a lined shot to the right-center field wall for a bases-clearing triple. Freshman third baseman David Doherty (North Smithfield, RI) then doubled to center to drive the Charger starter from the game and score Aylward. Two batters later Kosta Drosidis (Holden, MA) capped the big inning's scoring by bringing Doherty home with an RBI double into left field.
  • The AMCATS didn't let off the gas putting up two more runs in each of the third and fourth innings. In the third, it was a two-out rally started by senior designated hitter James Powers (Folsom, CA) who found himself on second after a dropped fly ball by the left fielder and then scored on an infield single by Drosidis when the third baseman's throw went wide of first. Marifiote then drove in Drosidis from second with an RBI double to the left-center field gap.
  • In the fourth, it was another two-out RBI opportunity for the AMCATS when Doherty singled up the middle to score Brown and Guitron-Moore.
  • The AMCATS added another run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly to right field by Villa that scored Drosidis who had doubled to left-center field.
  • The AMCATS put the capper on the day with four more runs in the sixth. Aylward led off with a walk and was pinch run for by sophomore Ben O'Connell (Milford, NH). Doherty then reached on a fielder's choice where the pitcher's throw to second to get O'Connell was in the dirt and couldn't be handled by the shortstop. Powers then singled through the left side to fill the bases. Freshman Emmanuel Jimenez (Clinton, MA) ran for Powers and then Drosidis drove in O'Connell and Doherty with a single through the left side of the infield. Marifiote scored Jimenez with a single to right-center and then was lifted for pinch runner Nick Morley (Milbury, MA). Rosenberg brought home what would be the final run of the game with a sacrifice fly to left field scoring Drosidis and giving the AMCATS an 18-2 lead.
  • Sophomore starting pitcher Michael Shorey (Northbridge, MA) improved his record to 4-2 by pitching all seven innings for his third complete game of the season. Shorey struck out seven while scattering three hits and allowing only two runs.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• With his single down the right field line in the first inning of the second game, Kosta Drosidis eclipsed the 200-hit mark becoming only the second-ever AMCAT to do so. He joins Jeff Scafidi ('09-'12) as the only other member of the double-century club. Drosidis now sits at 204 hits, 30 behind Scafidi for the AMCAT all-time career mark of 234.
• With his two-RBI single in the sixth inning of the second game, Drosidis also broke a tie with Scafidi for the AMCATS all-time mark in runs batted in. The new record is 145 and counting.
• Speaking of Drosidis spot in the AMCATS record books, in addition to being second in hits and first in RBI, he also holds the records in runs scored, home runs, and extra-base hits and is second in total bases.

UP NEXT:

Anna Maria will be back in action on Saturday when they host the Albertus Magnus College Falcons for a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) doubleheader at Marlborough High School. The first pitch is scheduled for noon.

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