May 2, 2009
Box Score
JERSEY CITY, N.J. - The Marist baseball team swept a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference doubleheader at Saint Peter's on Saturday, prevailing by scores of 12-7 and 8-3. The Red Foxes amassed a total of 34 hits on the day, with junior first baseman Ryan Gauck (Clifton Park, N.Y.), senior outfielder Brian McDonough (Hanover, Mass.) and sophomore infielder Ricky Pacione (Newburgh, N.Y.) getting five apiece on the day.
In game one, the Red Foxes racked up 21 hits, and everyone in the lineup had a multi-hit game. Red-shirt sophomore catcher Bryce Nugent (Binghamton, N.Y.) drove in five runs with a two-run homer and a three-run homer. Pacione went 4-for-6 with two runs scored and two RBIs, and McDonough went 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
Nugent got the Red Foxes on the scoreboard in game one with a two-run homer in the first inning. The score remained 2-0 Marist until the sixth, when a two-run homer by junior shortstop Richard Curylo (Staten Island, N.Y.) gave the Red Foxes a 4-0 lead, one they expanded to 7-0 later in that inning when Nugent hit a three-run homer. Marist added three runs in the seventh on a bases-loaded walk by freshman center fielder Jon Schwind (Hilton, N.Y.) and a two-run single by Pacione. The Red Foxes closed out the scoring in the ninth on a two-run single by McDonough.
Senior left-hander Josh Rickards (Glenolden, Pa.) earned the victory, running his record to 5-2. Rickards went 5.1 innings, allowing four hits, four walks and just one run. He struck out eight.
In game two, the Red Foxes scored first with a single run in the top of the second. Gauck grounded into a fielder's choice, and when the throw to attempt to get him out at first sailed wide, McDonough scored from third to put Marist out in front. Saint Peter's tied it in the bottom of the second, but the Red Foxes took a 2-1 lead in the third on an RBI double by Gauck, which scored Nugent. However, Saint Peter's tied the score again in its half of the third.
The game remained tied until the fifth, when an RBI single by Nugent scored Schwind to give the Red Foxes a 3-2 lead. Marist tacked on another run in the inning when Pacione scored on an infield groundout by McDonough, which put Marist up 4-2.
In the sixth, red-shirt senior designated hitter Kenny Anderson (Randolph, N.J.) doubled to lead off the inning. He was then replaced by pinch-runner Dan Gallagher (Middletown, N.J.), who came around to score on a double by senior right fielder Kyle Meyer (East Greenbush, N.Y.), which gave the Red Foxes a 5-2 lead.
Saint Peter's scored a run in the bottom of the sixth, but the Red Foxes tacked on three insurance runs in the seventh on an RBI single by McDonough and a two-run double by freshman third baseman George Agostini (Rehoboth, Mass.).
Sophomore right-hander Kyle Putnam (New Windsor, N.Y.) won for the third time in his last four starts, as he evened his record at 3-3. Putnam went five innings, scattering six hits, two walks and two runs while striking out five. Senior closer Jacob Wiley (Cape Vincent, N.Y.) got the last four outs for his fifth save of the season. Wiley did not allow a hit or a walk while striking out two.
The Red Foxes belted seven doubles in the second game, and had 11 extra-base hits on the day.
Marist now stands at 24-21 overall and 11-6 in MAAC play, while Saint Peter's fell to 12-32 overall and 6-14 in the MAAC. Marist is now tied for second place in the conference with Niagara.
The Red Foxes and Peacocks will conclude their three-game series on Sunday at 10 a.m. - a change from the originally listed starting time of noon. The game time was moved up due to impending inclement weather forecast for Sunday afternoon.
