Baseball Comes From Behind to Defeat Vassar on Monday at RussMatt Invitational

DAVENPORT, Fla. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) baseball team battled from behind to defeat the Vassar College (VC) Brewers, 9-5, in non-conference action during its second day of action at the RussMatt Invitational in Davenport, Fla. The Blue Jays scored six runs over the final four innings to turn a 5-3 deficit into a 9-5 victory. With the result, the Blue Jays improved to 5-2 overall on the season, while the Brewers dropped to 2-1.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Brewers raced out to an early lead, pushing across two runs in both the first and second innings to build a 4-0 advantage.
• The Blue Jays responded with two runs in the top of the third inning to cut their deficit in half. Junior outfielder Ryan Quinn (Middletown, Conn.) led off with a single, stole second, and was driven in by a triple to center field from junior catcher Chase Belisle (Wolcott, Conn.).
• Following a hit-by-pitch to sophomore infielder Tyler Carlstrom (Rocky Hill, Conn.), which put runners on the corners, junior infielder JJ Fox (Killingworth, Conn.) hit into a double play. However, Belisle managed to score on the play, making it 4-2.
• USJ inched closer with another run in the top of the fourth inning. With the bases loaded and nobody out, sophomore outfielder Joseph Fritz (Tampa, Fla.) drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to center field. However, VC limited the damage, stranding runners on second and third over the remainder of the inning to maintain a 4-3 lead.
• The Brewers got that run back in the bottom half of the inning, extending their lead to 5-3. With two outs, Jensen Bergman singled to right field and later scored on an RBI double to left-center field off the bat of Marc Milano.
• From there, it was all Blue Jays, as USJ erupted for three runs in the sixth and three in the eighth to secure the 9-5 victory.
• Fox walked with the bases loaded in the sixth to force in a run before freshman Jack Kane (West Hartford, Conn.) laced a two-RBI single up the middle, plating the game-tying and go-ahead runs.
• USJ added insurance in the eighth when Fox belted a two-RBI triple to the wall in left-center field, followed by a sacrifice fly from Kane, who recorded his third RBI of the day.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Four Blue Jays recorded multi-hit games in the win, led by Kane, who went 4-for-4 at the plate with three RBI.
• Quinn, Belisle and junior outfielder Dom Scalia (Northford, Conn.) each registered two hits.
• Kane and Fox both drove in three runs.
• Sophomore pitcher Kaden Murphy (Woodstock, Conn.) started the game, pitching 1.2 innings before being pulled in the bottom of the second. He allowed four runs (two earned) on two hits, walked four, and struck out three.
• Freshman Cam Zampolin (Massapequa, N.Y.) was sensational in his collegiate debut, earning the win (1-0) in relief of Murphy. He pitched 5.1 innings, allowing just one run on three hits with no walks and eight strikeouts.
• Sophomore Tyler Slack (Attleboro, Mass.) closed out the game, pitching the final two innings without surrendering a run while striking out two.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays continue competing at the RussMatt Invitational, taking on Russell Sage College on Tuesday, March 11. First pitch between the Blue Jays and Gators is set for 9:30 a.m. at Northeast Regional Park Field #4 in Davenport, Fla.

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