CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College baseball team picked up a pair of wins at Queens College, sweeping the double-header 13-2 and 3-0 Saturday afternoon. The Cougars, who went 3-6 at the Gene Cusic Classic in Fort Myers, Fla., last week, are now 5-6 on the season, while the Knights are 0-6.
In the first game, the first four hitters in the Cougars' lineup each collected two hits as Caldwell used a six-run fifth inning to defeat Queens 13-2. Seniors Ryan McGee (Cedarhurst, NY/Lawrence) and Hasani Whitfield (Briarwood, NY/Molloy) both homered for the Cougars, while senior Joe Catenacci (Helmetta, NJ/Spotswood), junior Nick Mauro (Nutley, NJ/Nutley) and freshman Tommy Murphy (Monroe, NY/Washingtonville) had a pair of hits in the win. Freshman Eric Hines (Milltown, NJ/Spotswood) went the distance on the mound for Caldwell, allowing just four hits and one earned run while striking out three in seven innings. In his first collegiate start on Mar. 13, Hines shut out UMass-Lowell, 3-0, allowing eight hits in seven innings of work.
In the second game, it was Murphy's turn to pitch a gem, as the freshman hurled a complete-game one-hit shutout in his first start as a Cougar. Murphy had a no-hitter going until the bottom of the six, when John Aluska singled with one out. The Cougars received all the offense they would need when Catenacci scored on Mauro's groundout to first in the first inning. Senior Mike Kolesar (New City, NY/Clarkstown North) singled home Whitfield in the sixth, and Catenacci scored on a throwing error after McGee singled in the seventh.
The Cougars are scheduled to host Molloy College on Tuesday, Mar. 22 at Smith Field, beginning at 3:30 p.m.