Hamilton College's JJay Lane '15 tossed 4.2 scoreless innings and Sam Choate '12 drove in four runs in Game 2 as the Continentals salvaged a split in a non-conference doubleheader against Cazenovia College at DeLutis Field in Rome, N.Y., on April 9.
Hamilton (4-18 overall) won the nightcap, 9-2, to snap a nine-game losing streak. Cazenovia (9-13) took the first game, 5-2.
In Game 2, Choate smacked a triple and a home run, and moved into a tie for first place on the program's all-time hits list with 124. Choate ranks fourth with 11 career home runs. Sam Fuentes '13 finished with two hits, including a double, and scored two runs. Lukas Bridenbeck '13 singled and doubled, and Thomas Merriman '15 finished with two hits.
Lane picked up the first win of his Hamilton career. He scattered three hits, walked two batters and struck out six. Alex Pachella '15 held the Wildcats to two hits and two unearned runs in 2.1 innings of relief to earn his first save. Pachella escaped from a bases-loaded jam with two outs in the fifth.
Anthony DeSarro '12 led Cazenovia's offense with a pinch-hit double to drive in a run. Pat Shepardson '13 added an RBI single, and Matt Nestopoulos '15 walked and scored a run. Starting pitcher Tom Debernardis '15 surrendered six hits and three earned runs in three innings of work. Jake Zimmer '15 allowed five hits and five earned runs over the final three innings.
Hamilton jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Fuentes led off with a double down the right field line, and Merriman singled up the middle and advanced to second on an error. One batter later, Choate lifted a sacrifice fly to the second baseman in shallow right field to score Fuentes. Bridenbeck followed with a single to center to plate Merriman.
The Continentals added two more runs in the bottom of the third inning. With one out, Choate sent a blast over the left field fence, and Bridenbeck followed with a double. After a walk to Ben Goffin '15, Colin Henneberger '15 drove in Bridenbeck with an infield single to second base.
Cazenovia got a pair of runs back in the top of the sixth inning. Adam Wiley '12 reached on an error to lead off and later scored on DeSarro's double. An RBI groundout by Pat Shepardson '13 scored Nestopoulos to pull the Wildcats within 4-2.
Hamilton put the game out of reach with five runs in the bottom of the inning. John Wulf '12 was hit by a pitch to lead off and came around to score on Merriman's single. Gabe Klein '13 lined an RBI single up the middle, Choate added a two-run triple and Steve LaRochelle '14 closed the scoring with an RBI groundout.
In Game 1, Cazenovia starting pitcher Brian Gaskell '13 scattered five hits and didn't allow an earned run in six innings. Gaskell walked four batters and struck out two. Wiley led the Wildcats' offense with a double and two runs batted in. Jamie Barr '13 drove in a pair of runs and Erich Lange '13 finished with a single and two runs scored. Jack Benjamin '13 earned the save with a scoreless seventh inning.
Wulf and Klein each smacked a double to pace the Continentals' offense. Fuentes singled and drove in a pair of runs, and Choate, LaRochelle and Henneberger had the other hits for Hamilton. Starting pitcher Ryan Crawford '15 scattered four hits and allowed two earned runs over six innings. Crawford walked three batters and struck out six. Lane came on in relief in the seventh inning and took the loss.
Cazenovia took an early lead with a run in the top of the first inning. Jerome Bright '14 led off with an infield single and advanced to second on a groundout. After a strikeout, Nestopoulos singled through the left side to score Bright.
Hamilton took a 2-1 lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Merriman walked to lead off and with two outs, advanced to second on a fielding error. Wulf drew a walk and Fuentes followed with a single that dropped just in front of the right fielder to score Merriman and Glenn de Marrais '15.
Cazenovia tied the score on Wiley's RBI double that scored Lange in the top of the fifth inning. The Wildcats took the lead for good with three runs in the top of the seventh. Rich Battoglia '12 led off with a walk and Lange singled to left field. Chris Williams '15 advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt, and after an intentional walk to Bright, Wiley was hit by a pitch to force in a run. Barr followed with a two-run single to left field to close the scoring.
Hamilton travels to Utica College for the 25th playing of the Jackie Robinson Game on Wednesday, April 11.
