PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Sophomore Omar Velazquez (Astoria, NY/Long Island City) hit a double, a triple and a home run while scoring four times in Game 1, then earned the victory on the mound in Game 2 to lead the Caldwell College baseball team to a sweep of the University of the Sciences, 8-4 and 9-4, in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Richie Ashburn Field. The results give the Cougars a 26-15 record on the season, including a 16-8 mark in the conference, while the Devils fall to 10-29, 6-16 CACC.
The Cougars struck first in Game 1, with sophomore Jon Irwin (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) driving in Velazquez with a single in the top of the second for a 1-0 lead. USP tied the game in the bottom of the second on an RBI single from Mark Perry, only to have Caldwell regain the lead with two runs in the top of the third. Velazquez doubled home senior Chris Chiarappa (Elmont, NY/Holy Trinity), then later scored on an error for a 3-1 lead. But the Devils came back with a run in the third and two more in the fourth, all unearned, for a 4-3 advantage. In the top of the fifth, Chiarappa tied the game with a lead-off home run, then Velazquez followed with a solo shot to put Caldwell ahead 5-4. Still in the fifth, freshman Edgar Santos (Woodside, NY/Bryant) tripled, then scored on a grounder by sophomore Doug Hilgenberg (Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central) to put Caldwell on top 6-4. Velazquez tripled and later scored on a wild pitch as part of a two-run seventh that gave the Cougars an 8-4 lead.
Irwin matched Velezquez with three hits in the game while driving in one run. Sophomore Robert Casal (Howard Beach, NY/St. Francis Prep) pitched all seven innings and gave up four unearned runs on five hits while striking out eight to improve to 6-4 on the season. USP's Tim Summers worked six innings and took the loss after surrendering seven runs on seven hits.
In Game 2, the Cougars took a 1-0 lead on a run-scoring single by sophomore Ray Keelan (Barnegat, NJ/Southern Regional) in the top of the first. After Hilgenberg scored an unearned run in the second, the Cougars put three runs on the board in the third. Chiarappa tripled home Keelan, then scored on a double by junior Aaron Hoffstatter (Glasco, NY/Saugerties). Hoffstatter came home on Hilgenberg's single for a 5-0 Caldwell advantage. Both teams scored four times each over the next 2 1/2 innings to make the score 9-4. Keelan had an RBI single in the fourth, while Hilgenberg doubled home a run and Irwin hit a two-run single in the top of the fifth for Caldwell. Keelan went 3-for-4 with a run and two RBIs, while Irwin and Hilgenberg each drove in two runs.
Velazquez struck out eight batters in six innings while giving up four runs on seven hits to improve to 3-0. Adam Kissinger allowed 10 hits and nine runs for the Devils.
Caldwell plays a non-conference game against Concordia College on Monday, Apr. 28, beginning at 3:30 p.m. in Bronxville, N.Y.
