GAME 1: Owls fall short in late comeback bid
Keene State Baseball secured a split in their first Little East Conference (LEC) matchups of the season, a March 22 doubleheader against Rhode Island College (RIC) Anchormen.
The first game of the day began with a bang for the Owls, with graduate student and first baseman/outfielder Brendan Eaton smashing a home run to left field, but the offense stopped there for the inning.
The Anchormen did not answer the run in their half of the inning, but two men reached base on a walk and an error.
The Owls built on their first-inning offense in the second, aided by some clever baserunning. Sophomore infielder Otis Follet led off with a walk and quickly stole second base. Sophomore utility player Hamilton Barnes reached base on a fielder’s choice, with Follet getting gunned down at third.
But KSC rapidly rebounded, with first-year outfielder Ethan Rainha notching a single to right and Barnes advancing to third. Then, in a dramatic move, the Owls successfully deployed a double-steal, allowing Rainha to reach second and Barnes to steal home plate.
Sophomore infielder/pitcher Kyle Palardy continued the scoring, mashing an RBI single to center. The Owls ended the inning in a commanding 3-0 lead.
In the top of the third, the Owls showed another promising offensive showing, hitting two singles and putting a man 90 feet away from scoring, but a double play squashed the scoring opportunity.
The Anchormen ended up answering the Owls’ runs in the third, with junior outfielder/pitcher Shea Zina giving up a two-RBI homer and a slew of singles, escaping the inning in a 3-3 tie.
The Owls singled in the fourth and got a couple of players to reach base on a walk and hit batsman, but did not regain their lead.
With faltering offense and pitching, the Owls began to unravel in the fifth, allowing the Anchormen to sail to a 5-3 lead off the bat of a two-run homer.
The Owls ended up loading the bases in the sixth with a single and two walks, causing the Anchormen to pull their starter from the game. However, a ground-out stopped KSC in its tracks.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Owls also pulled their starter from the game. Zina ended the day with eight Ks but also was responsible for five hits and five runs.
Sophomore pitcher Troy Brennan entered with a rough start, quickly giving up a single and double, followed by a two-RBI single which increased RIC’s lead to 7-3.
The Owls gained back two in the seventh off the bat of Barnes’ RBI single and a sacrifice fly, entering the bottom half down 7-5.
RIC answered right back with two runs of their own in an RBI groundout and error before Brennan left the game and sophomore pitcher Jake Jachym entered.
Now down 9-5, the Owls started their comeback bid. Eaton struck an RBI double to right center, and ended up at third after a wild pitch, but did not end up scoring.
While Jachym made quick work of the Anchormen in the eighth, the Owls had their final chance to secure a win in the ninth.
Two walks and a single put Owls one swing away from the lead, but they would only end up netting one run off a wild pitch, ending the game with two runners stranded, 9-7.
GAME 2: KSC claws back in one-run win
In the second game of the day, the Owls rebounded and secured a split in a 4-3 win.
The Owls’ offense started off on a promising note, notching two singles in the first inning but they did not end up scoring.
The Anchormen quickly put numbers on the board though, with a leadoff double, shortly thereafter followed by a two-run blast to to right field to secure an early 2-0 lead. Fortunately for the Owls, the damage stopped there for the inning.
KSC answered back to one of the runs in the top of the second, with Rainha slashing a leadoff double and sophomore infielder Evan McCue rocketing an RBI single to center, narrowing the Owls’ deficit to 2-1.
While the bottom of the second and the third inning proved uneventful for both sides offensively, the Owls showed some promise in the fourth. Barnes singled to left field and Rainha reached first on a fielder’s choice, then stole second base. However, the Owls left him in scoring position and ended the inning on a fly-out.
The Anchormen presented trouble in their half of the fourth, slewing together a trio of singles that loaded the bases with two outs. However, the rally was thwarted after a pop-up and the Owls escaped unscathed.
KSC pounced on a chance to equalize the game in the fifth, with a walk and a hit batsman putting two men on base with two outs. Sophomore infielder Brice Waldron, pinch-hitting for Zina, tapped an RBI single to left. Barnes was then hit by a pitch, loading the bases for the Owls, but all men were left stranded after a strikeout ended the inning.
In the bottom of the fifth, RIC showed it wasn’t going down without a fight. The Anchormen led off with a double followed by a single. The Owls initiated a pitching change afterward, subbing in sophomore pitcher David Floyd. Though Floyd conceded a run off a hit-batsman while the bases were loaded, RIC ended up leaving the bases loaded, but in the lead at 3-2.
While Floyd held down RIC in the following innings, the Owls were able to tie the game once again after Eaton mashed his second solo homer of the day.
In the eighth, the Owls finally lunged into the lead. A walk and a wild pitch allowed Rainha to land in scoring position and McCue took advantage with his second RBI single of the day, putting KSC ahead 4-3.
While RIC tried to sail back into the lead, Floyd held them down until the end. He ended the day with seven Ks and only allowed two hits through four and two-thirds innings in relief.
The Owls will now head to Fiondella Field to play against Hartford in a doubleheader on March 30.
Nathan Hope can be contacted at
nhope@kscequinox.com
