IMMACULATA, Pa. – The Neumann University Baseball team defeated Immaculata University in game one of this weekend's Atlantic East Conference opening series by a final score of 7-5.
Thomas Carroll led the Knights, hitting 3 for 4 with a triple, and hit-by-pitch, two stolen bases, a run batted in, and two runs scored.
Andrew Brown was 2 for 5 with an RBI, and
Joe Boccio drove in a couple of runs and hit a home run.
Nick Colon earned the win with a strong seven innings of work. He allowed two runs, both earned, on eight hits and a walk while striking out two. He improves his record to 3-0.
After a scoreless first inning, Carroll led off the second with a triple into left field. Boccio drove him home with a grounder to short, giving the Knights the 1-0 lead. In the third,
Brandon Colon led off with a single to right and stole second.
Chris Balshuweit was then hit by a pitch and, after a
Donovan Brooks sacrifice bunt,
Anthony Rakotz walked to load the bases. Carroll followed with a single to left to plate B. Colon, doubling Neumann's lead. Immaculata responded in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single with the bases loaded, but their rally would be stopped there.
With one out in the fifth, both Rakotz and Carroll were hit by pitches and Boccio reached on an error to fill the bases.
Josh Finger reached on a fielder's choice, driving in Rakotz, to again gain a two-run lead. With Brown at the plate, Finger took off early for second and as the pitcher turned to throw, Carroll raced for home to complete the double steal. Brown then followed with a single to center to bring home Finger for a 5-1 edge. Immaculata struck in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single but again, the Knights limited the damage.
Both teams went silent until the eighth when
JerVal Shuler hit a one-out double into left and moved to third on a groundout. Shuler then scored on a chopper that was thrown away for an error.
In the top of the ninth, right after a pitching change, Boccio took the first pitch a long way over the left field wall for his second homer of the season. As it turned out, that insurance run was crucial. In the bottom of the inning, Immaculata put up an RBI single and a two-run single, but Neumann would hang on for the win.
Neumann (10-5, 1-0 Atlantic East) will conclude this weekend set against Immaculata on Saturday afternoon in a doubleheader. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 12:00 PM.
