LANTANA, Fla. - The 25th-ranked Caldwell College baseball team began its eight-game swing in Florida with two losses to East Region foes Saturday afternoon at the Santaluces Sports Complex. The Cougars (0-3) lost to 12-ranked Franklin Pierce University, 10-4, before falling to Southern Connecticut State in a pitcher's duel, 1-0.
In the first game of the day, Franklin Pierce jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, as its first four batters of the game scored in the bottom of the first. The Ravens added a run in the third before Caldwell scored its first two runs of the game on a two-run double by senior outfielder Jorge Torres (Coral Springs, FL/Taravella) in the top of the fifth. Franklin Pierce restored its five-run lead with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, then scored one run in each of the final three innings. The Cougars pushed two more runs across in the seventh on grounders by Torres and junior Adric Saxon (Coral Springs, FL/Broward CC) but it was not enough to overcome the defending region-champion Ravens.
Torres finished with three runs batted in, while Saxon and freshman Joe Doerrer (Middletown, NJ/Raritan), right, had two hits apiece. Senior right-hander Stephen Pfeil (Hampstead, NH/Pinkerton Acad.) pitched five innings and allowed seven runs, five earned, on nine hits. Kyle Vazquez improved to 3-0 after striking out 10 while giving up seven hits and four runs in eight innings of work. Offensively, Kevin Rivers went 4-for-5 with three doubles and four runs for the Ravens.
Against Southern Connecticut, junior Buddy Riggs (Coral Springs, FL/Taravella) and Owls' lefty Ed Bethke engaged in a pitcher's battle, allowing just five hits each while tossing complete games. With the score 0-0 in the top of the ninth, Ryan Geffert blasted a solo home run to left center for the only run of the game. Bethke surrendered a single to Doerrer in the bottom of the ninth, but the Cougars were unable to get the tying run.
Riggs, left, fanned nine batters while walking two in nine innings. Bethke did not give up a walk and had seven strikeouts. Doerrer turned in his second two-hit game of the day, while Geffert and Sam Greenberg each had a pair of hits for the Owls. The Cougars played both Franklin Pierce and SCSU in last year's NCAA Northeast Region Tournament.
Caldwell plays a doubleheader with St. Thomas Aquinas College on Sunday, Mar. 15, beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the Santaluces Sports Complex.
