The Hamilton College baseball team opened the 2015 season with a sweep of College of Mount Saint Vincent in Winter Haven, Fla., winning 9-7 and 13-6. The Continentals, who posted their third straight 2-0 start, will play 10 more games on their spring trip.
Game one box score | Game two box score
Hamilton pounded out 22 hits and stole nine bases in the two wins. The Continentals were led by Joe Jensen ’15, who scored four runs, stole two bases and singled, tripled and homered.
All 12 Continentals who came to the plate collected at least one hit and nine scored at least one run.
Andrew Haser ’17 also tripled and homered, driving in five runs in the two wins. Kenny Collins ‘17, who scored four runs, and David Rose ’16 had three hits apiece.
The Continentals jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the opener, then hung on as the Dolphins scored five times in the seventh, bringing the tying run to the plate.
Haser’s two-run home run highlighted Hamilton’s four-run fourth. Brett Mele ’17 singled in the inning’s first run, then scored on Kenny Collins’ triple down the right field line before Haser capped the two-out rally with his second career home run.
Jensen led off the sixth with the first home run of his career and the Continentals pushed their lead to 9-2 when Chris Collins ’17 singled home his brother Kenny, who had drawn a one-out walk and stolen second.
In the top of seventh Keith Schroeher ‘16, Craig Weber ’16 and Steven Giustino ’16 each hit run-scoring singles to pull Mount St. Vincent to 9-5. A two-out walk to Joseph Senisi ’16 loaded the bases and Matthew Nesensohn ’18 followed with a single to right that scored two runs. Nesensohn tried to advance to second base but Chris Collins caught the relay from his brother in right field and threw him out to end the game.
Alex Pachella ’15 earned the win, striking out six over 6.1 innings. He allowed just two earned runs, raising his career record to 7-4.
The Dolphins (2-3 overall) took a 1-0 lead with an unearned run in the second but Hamilton escaped further damage by throwing out Casey Surdi ’17 at the plate on an attempted double steal.
Zach Becker ’16 drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the inning to tie the score and Jensen’s sacrifice fly put the Continentals ahead to stay. Mike Chiseri ’16 singled in a run in the third as Hamilton stretched its lead to 3-1.
In game two, Hamilton blew open a close game with its highest scoring inning in 225 games (dating back to a 16-4 win over Gordon College on March 19, 2008). The Continentals scored nine runs in the third inning, collecting seven hits. Mount Saint Vincent walked three batters, hit another and committed a passed ball.
Haser’s two-out bases-loaded triple broke the inning open, putting Hamilton up 6-1 after Jensen, Rose and Kenny Collins had each singled in a run. Haser scored on a passed ball before Rose followed with his second RBI single of the inning.
Jensen (who scored three runs), Rose and Brian Ferrell ’16 each had two of the Continentals’ 11 hits. Rose, Ferrell and Chris Collins each scored two runs.
Finlay O’Hara ’17 picked up his second career victory, striking out a personal-best 10 batters while issuing only one walk over six innings. Charlie Lynn ’18 pitched a scoreless seventh in his first collegiate appearance.
Nicholas Pace ’15 had three hits for the Dolphins and stole three bases. He scored on a Weber sacrifice fly in the first and singled to start Mount Saint Vincent’s three-run third. Schroeher singled in a run and Giustino followed with a two-run single. The Dolphins scored twice more with a Continental error and a pinch-hit single by Christian Baptiste ’18 driving in fifth-inning runs.
Hamilton returns to action on Tuesday, March 17, with a 1:30 p.m. doubleheader against SUNY Fredonia.
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