Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Caldwell University Athletics

Official Home Of Caldwell University Cougars

Baseball

SAXON POWERS CALDWELL TO SWEEP OF DEVILS IN BASEBALL


PARSIPPANY, N.J. - Freshman Adric Saxon (Coral Springs, FL/Broward CC) hit three home runs in the second game of a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference doubleheader with the University of Sciences Friday night at Smith Field. Saxon helped the Cougars hit 11 homers on the day en route to two victories, 13-6 and 16-3, to improve to 15-6 overall and 7-1 in the conference. The losses dropped the Devils to 3-17, 1-6 CACC.

In the first game the Cougars belted 20 hits off of the Devils, including solo home runs by junior Chris Chiarappa (Elmont, NY/Holy Trinity), sophomore Jorge Torres (Coral Springs, FL/Taravella) and senior Billy Ryan (Toms River, NJ/Manchester) to lead off the third, fourth and sixth innings, respectively. The Cougars' big inning came in the bottom of the second, when Caldwell scored six runs and had seven hits to take a 6-1 lead. Chiarappa, freshmen Doug Hilgenberg (Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central) and Andrew Robertson (Coral Springs, FL/Taravella), and junior Tommy Murphy (Monroe, NY/Washingtonville) each knocked in a run, while Saxon hit a two-run single in the inning.

Ryan went 4 for 4 with three runs, two RBIs and a homer. Torres drove in a team-best three runs, Murphy finished with three hits, including a double, and freshman Raymond Keelan (Barnegat, NJ/Southern Regional), left, hit two doubles. Sophomore starter Stephen Pfeil (Hampstead, NH/Pinherton Academy), right, improved to 3-2 after striking out nine while giving up eight hits, five runs (four earned) and two walks. Philip Maher took the loss for the Devils.

USP opened the second game with a pair of runs in the top of the first. Saxon answered with a solo home run in the bottom of the first. A single by freshman Jon Irwin (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) in the bottom of the second scored Ryan to tie the game at 2-2. Then in his second at-bat of the game, Saxon gave Caldwell the lead for good with a blast to left field in the bottom of the third. Ryan and Keelan led off the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back home runs, with junior Ryan Glasco (Manhasset, NY/Manhasset) belting a three-run homer to put Caldwell ahead 8-2.

After a two-run single by Murphy in the bottom of the sixth, Saxon hit his third home run in his fourth at-bat of the game, a two-run shot to centerfield that made the score 12-2. Sophomore Aaron Hoffstatter (Glasco, NY/Saugerties) joined in the Cougars' power display in the sixth with a two-run homer, his first of the season. Then in the seventh, freshman Michael O'Hara (Brentwood, NY/St. Anthony's) hit his first collegiate home run with freshman Omar Velazquez (Astoria, NY/Long Island City) on second to make the score 16-2. Justin Devincenzo's RBI double in the top of the eighth completed the scoring.

Velazquez joined Saxon with three hits in the game, while Hoffstatter, Ryan, Keelan and Glasco each had two hits. The Cougars, who pounded out 37 hits and scored 29 runs in the two games combined, have scored 10 or more runs 12 times and have now hit 27 home runs in 21 games this season.

Freshman Robert Casal (Howard Beach, NY/St. Francis Prep) pitched six innings and allowed five hits and two runs while fanning six to improve to 5-1 on the season.

The Cougars are scheduled to play a non-conference doubleheader against N.J.I.T. at Riverfront Stadium in Newark, N.J. on Sunday, Apr. 15. The first pitch is set for 1:00 p.m.

Print Friendly Version