NORRISTOWN, Pa.- The Caldwell University baseball team were edged in a pair of games as the Cougars fell to Chestnut Hill College in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference doubleheader. The Griffins rallied in the final inning to take the opener 9-8 and won 65 in extra innings in the nightcap.
The Cougars fall to 2-12 overall and fall to 0-6 in the CACC, while the Griffins improve to 8-12 overall and 3-3 in the conference.
In the opener, the Cougars took the lead with a five-run second inning. Freshman
Frank Lehmann (Colonia, N.J.) drove in a pair of runs with a double. Freshman
Dhillon Barbetti (West Long Branch, N.J.) reached in an infield bunt single to score Lehmann. Senior
Mason Marino (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added a two-run double later in the inning for a 5-0 lead.
The Griffins plated three runs in the third but the Cougars added a run in the fourth. Barbetti led off with a single, while senior
Anthony Parente (Jackson, N.J.) drew a walk. Marino followed with a single to score Barbetti for a 6-3 lead.
Chestnut Hill rallied to tie the game with a run in the fourth and two in the sixth.
Caldwell answered in their half of the seventh as Marino, part of his 4-for-5 opener, led off with a double. Marino moved to third on a sacrifice and scored on a single by junior
Jack Zosulis (East Windsor, N.J.). The Cougars tacked on a run in the ninth as Marino and junior
Joseph Mitchell (Bogota, N.J.) posted back-to-back two-out doubles for an 8-6 lead.
The Griffins rallied with three runs in the bottom of the ninth to take the opener 9-8.
Junior
Michael Hess (Valley Cottage, N.J.) took the loss, tossing the final 2 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on three hits with three strikeouts.
Caldwell got on the board in the first inning of game two as junior
Luis Rullan (Bloomfield, N.J.) doubled with one out. Junior
Tavis Brunson (Westfield, N.J.) reached on an error to put runners at first and third. Rullan scored on a wild pitch with Brunson scoring later in the inning on a Mitchell single. The Griffins got a run back in the bottom of the first.
The Cougars added a run in the third as Marino drew a one-out walk. Mitchell singled to put runners at first and second. Junior
Dylan Walicky (Belleville, N.J.) doubled to score Marino.
The Griffins answered with one run in the third and added two in the fourth to take a 4-3 lead. Caldwell tied the game in the fifth as Marino drew a leadoff walk and scored later in the inning on a wild pitch.
The Cougars took a 5-4 lead with a run in the top of the seventh. Chestnut Hill tied the game in the bottom of the inning and scored the winning run in the eighth to take the nightcap.
Freshman
Jerry Gamone (Union, N.J.) took the loss as he allowed two runs on three hits in 1 1/3 innings pitched in relief.
The Cougars host Nyack College on Tuesday, March 26 for a CACC doubleheader at 3 p.m. at the Kiwanis Oval.