Baseball Sweeps Senior Day Doubleheader Against Mitchell on Saturday
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mitchell | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
|
Saint Joseph (Conn.) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 1 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mitchell | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 2 |
|
Saint Joseph (Conn.) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 15 | 0 |
Prior to first pitch, the USJ Department of Athletics honored seniors Dan Shane (Colchester, Conn.), Chase Belisle (Wolcott, Conn.), Nelson Rondon (Meriden, Conn.), Ryan Quinn (Middletown, Conn.), Dom Scalia (Northford, Conn.), Gabe Zamorano Jr. (Southington, Conn.), Evan Gilgenbach (Griswold, Conn.), Brandon Cahill (Meriden, Conn.), Ryan Shaw (Ellington, Conn.), JJ Fox (Killingworth, Conn.), Justin Baker (Killingly, Conn.), Ethan Reemsnyder (Clinton, Conn.), and Nick Hutson (Queens, N.Y.) during a Senior Day ceremony.
With the sweep, USJ improved to 25–14 overall and 14–6 in GNAC play, while the Mariners fell to 24–12 overall and 16–4 in conference action. The victories secured the Blue Jays the No. 2 seed and home‑field advantage for Pod Play in the upcoming GNAC Baseball Championship Tournament.
GAME ONE | USJ 6, MITCHELL 5
HOW IT HAPPENED
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The Blue Jays jumped out early in the bottom of the first inning as sophomore infielder Jack Kane (West Hartford, Conn.) launched a two‑run home run to left field, giving USJ a 2–0 lead.
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USJ added to its advantage in the third when freshman infielder Sam Balducci (South Windsor, Conn.) lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to extend the lead to 3–0.
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Mitchell responded in the fourth, erupting for five runs to take its first lead of the game at 5–3.
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The Blue Jays answered right back in the bottom half of the inning when Fox reached on a fielder's choice, allowing sophomore catcher Jack Kushman (Southington, Conn.) to score and cut the deficit to 5–4.
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USJ evened the score in the fifth as Shaw reached on a fielder's choice and a defensive miscue allowed Quinn to score, tying the game at 5–5.
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In the bottom of the seventh, Balducci delivered the decisive moment, lining a walk‑off RBI single to right‑center field to score Quinn and lift the Blue Jays to a 6–5 victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Kane led the offense with a home run, two RBI, and two runs scored.
- Quinn and junior outfielder Joseph Fritz (Tampa, Fla.) each recorded multi‑hit performances.
- Junior infielder Tyler Carlstrom (Rocky Hill, Conn.) reached base in all three plate appearances, drawing two walks and being hit by a pitch.
- Cahill improved to 7–2, tossing a complete game for his sixth straight outing while allowing four hits and five runs and striking out seven.
GAME TWO | USJ 17, MITCHELL 7 (EIGHT INNINGS)
HOW IT HAPPENED
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USJ once again struck first, plating three runs in the opening inning highlighted by a two‑run double from Scalia, along with Shaw reaching on a defensive error.
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Mitchell answered in the second with an RBI single from Angel Rodriguez Cruz to make it 3–1.
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The Blue Jays extended their lead in the bottom of the second when Fox ripped an RBI single up the middle, followed by a sacrifice fly from Kane to make it 5–1.
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Mitchell cut into the lead in the third on a two‑run home run from Christopher Piscione, making it 5–3.
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USJ responded in the bottom half of the inning as Carlstrom scored on a defensive error and Fox added an RBI on a fielder's choice to push the lead to 7–3.
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Mitchell continued to battle, scoring two runs in the fourth to make it 7–5.
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The Blue Jays pulled away in the fifth, adding three runs highlighted by an RBI single from Kushman and a two‑run home run from Fritz to extend the lead to 10–5.
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USJ continued to build its advantage with three more runs in the sixth to make it 13–5.
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Mitchell added two runs in the seventh, but USJ answered again as Shaw delivered an RBI double to make it 14–7.
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In the eighth inning, the Blue Jays sealed the Senior Day sweep with three runs to trigger the run rule. Kane lined a two‑run single before Scalia added an RBI groundout to secure the 17–7 victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Fritz led the offense with four hits, two RBI, and three runs scored.
- Kane, Shaw, Kushman, Carlstrom, and Fritz each recorded multi‑hit performances.
- Junior pitcher Ethan Slowik (Greenville, N.Y.) earned the win in relief, tossing 2.2 innings while allowing one hit and two runs and striking out three.
- Sophomore pitcher Marcus Tarfano (Southington, Conn.) closed out the game with 1.1 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out one.
UP NEXT
The Blue Jays close out the regular season on Sunday, April 26, traveling to Dudley, Mass., for a non‑conference matchup against Nichols College. First pitch between USJ and the Bison is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. at Nichols Baseball Field.
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