Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (March 20, 2010) – Although the Vassar College baseball team was outhit by a narrow 18-16 margin over two games, Swarthmore College was able to produce more runs with its hits, sweeping the Brewers in their home opener with 9-3 and 10-7 wins on Saturday at Prentiss Field.

The Brewers fall to 2-4 and host Mount Saint Mary College on Wednesday for a single game beginning at 4:00 p.m. The Garnet snap a six-game losing streak to improve to 5-6 and are back on the field tomorrow, hosting Maine Presque Isle for a doubleheader beginning at 12:30 p.m.

Game One
In the first game, the Garnet snapped a 1-1 tie with a four unearned runs in the fourth inning and Swarthmore starter Neil Mejia kept the Brewers from a comeback, giving up just one run through the first six innings.

The Brewers struck first, riding the momentum of a strong start from starting pitcher John MacGregor. The sophomore right hander breezed through the first inning, using just nine pitches without throwing one ball to send the first three Garnet hitters back to the dugout and in the bottom of the inning, the Brewers plated a two-out run to take the early lead. With sophomore catcher Sal Costanzo on first following a walk and senior designated hitter Ari Glantz on second after being hit by a pitch, freshman third baseman Conor Gallagher laced the first pitch he saw through the right infield to score Glantz from second.

The Garnet tied the game in the top of the third as junior shortstop Thomas Nakamura led off the inning with a single through the right side, stole second, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from junior outfielder Ben Schneiderman, and came home on a sacrifice line drive to centerfield from leadoff hitter outfielder Mike Waterhouse .

With the game tied 1-1 heading into the fourth, the Garnet got some breathing room with a four-run inning, all unearned. Sophomore second baseman Anthony Montalbano led off the inning with a bunt, advancing to second on a passed ball, and a one-out error allowed sophomore third baseman Spencer Ross to reach and Montalbano to score. MacGregor induced a ground out for the second out, but the Brewers were unable to escape the inning as senior outfielder Jimmy Gill blasted a two-run home run over the left field fence to give Swarthmore a 4-1 lead. The Garnet plated one more before Vassar could get out of the inning, as Nakamura singled, advanced to second on a passed ball and came home on an RBI single from Schneiderman. Sophomore catcher Miles Santo added a home run in the sixth, blasting a shot over the deepest part of the center field fence and the Garnet scored three more the seventh for a 9-1 lead.

The Brewers made things interesting in the bottom of the seventh, as sophomore second baseman Liam Lee drew a leadoff walk and raced home on a double down the left field line from senior outfielder Adam Murphy. Freshman shortstop Michael Perrone followed with a walk, and an RBI single from junior first baseman Joe Bubar plated Murphy to cut the Garnet lead to six and chase Mejia. With two men on base and no outs, sophomore reliever Ignacio Rodriguez entered the game, induced a double play lineout on his first pitch and then struck out the next Vassar batter to end the game.

Mejia earned the win, improving to 2-1 on the season. Mejia pitched six-plus innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and four walks. MacGregor fell to 0-2 with the loss, pitching 6.1 innings and allowing four earned runs on nine hits with four strikeouts and no walks. Vassar sophomore reliever #Zachary Prudoff pitched two-thirds of an inning, allowing one run on one hit with one strike out.

Murphy was the only Brewer with multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored. For the Garnet, Montalbano, Santo, and Nakamura all had two hits apiece while Gill had three RBI. Swarthmore outhit Vassar, 9-7.

Game Two
The Garnet started off the second game with two quick runs in the first as Montalbano and sophomore first baseman Michael Cameron both drew walks and then came around to score on a deep double to centerfield from Ross. Swarthmore added another run in the second inning as Nakamura reached on a one-out walk, stole second, advanced to third on a ground out and came home on a single to left field from Waterhouse. A long RBI double to left center from Cameron scored Santo in the third and a two-run RBI from Gill gave the Garnet a 7-0 lead, chasing sophomore starter Scott Allen and bringing in junior Daniel Berkowitz.

The Brewers got on board in the bottom of the fourth as Costanzo reached first on a dropped third strike, advanced to second on Gallagher's single through the right side, and scored when junior outfielder Devon Luongo singled through the left side. Vassar tacked on two more in the sixth as Gallagher sent a one-out single to left field, Luongo followed him on base with a walk, and junior second baseman Joe Castilla loaded the bases with a base hit. Junior catcher Mike Plude drew a walk to plate Gallagher, and a fielder's choice from Murphy scored Luongo. However, the Brewers were unable to get any closer in the inning and the Garnet added three more in the top of the seventh off a two-RBI triple from Ross and an RBI double from Gill for the 10-3 lead.

Vassar again threatened a comeback in the bottom of the seventh as the Brewers loaded the bases with no outs as Bubar singled, Glantz reached on a fielder's choice, and Costanzo walked, chasing junior reliever James Bernard with senior Zach Sinemus entering the game. Gallagher welcomed Sinemus with a two-RBI single through the right side to cut the Garnet lead to 10-5. Castilla drew a two-out walk to load the bases, bringing Plude to the plate. Plude sent a shot to centerfield and though Schneiderman made the diving catch, confusion among the Swarthmore defense allowed Costanzo and Gallagher to score. However, Sinemus escaped with the 10-7 win by inducing a groundout from the next batter.

Freshman starter Dylan Jensen (1-1) earned his first collegiate win for the Garnet, pitching 5.1 innings and allowing three runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and three walks. Allen pitched two-plus innings and took the loss, allowing seven runs on four hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Berkowitz pitched three strong innings of relief, allowing just one hit with two strikeouts and a walk, while sophomore Race Bottini allowed three runs on four hits in two innings of relief.

Gallagher led the Brewers bats with a 3-for-4 effort to go with two RBI and two runs scored, while Castilla was 2-for-3. For the Garnet, Ross went 2-for-4 with four RBI and two runs, Gill was 2-for-4 with three RBI, and Cameron was 2-for-3 with one RBI and three runs. Both teams had nine hits apiece.