March 17, 2010
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
ARLINGTON, Va. - The Marist baseball team swept George Washington in a doubleheader on Wednesday, taking the first game 9-7 and capturing the second game 6-3 in seven innings. Junior left fielder Ricky Pacione (Newburgh, N.Y.) reached base safely in his first eight plate appearances of the day as the Red Foxes ran their winning streak to four straight.
Pacione also drove in six runs on the day. He went 5-for-5 with four RBIs in game one, and then drove in a pair of runs in the second game.
Junior left-hander Sean McKeown (Hillsborough, N.J.) pitched a scoreless ninth inning in game one to earn his second save of the season, and then went the first four innings of game two to earn the victory and improve to 2-0 on the season.
In game one, George Washington opened the scoring with two runs in its half of the third, but the Red Foxes answered with three runs in the fourth, one in the fifth and two in the sixth.
The Red Foxes held a 9-5 lead going to the bottom of the ninth, but the Colonials mounted a rally as the first three hitters singled to make the score 9-6 with runners at the corners and no one out. At that time, McKeown came in from the bullpen to induce a double play which brought home a run and a groundout on just three pitches to end the game.
McKeown's save secured the victory for freshman left-hander Dan Zlotnick (Somers, N.Y.), who earned his first career win in his first career start. Zlotnick allowed just four hits, one walk and two runs in five innings while striking out five.
George Washington scored first again in game two, plating two runs in the bottom of the first. However, the Red Foxes took the lead for good with five runs in the third. After senior right fielder Ryan Gauck (Clifton Park, N.Y.), junior center fielder Michael Gallic (Tolland, Conn.) and red-shirt junior designated hitter Bryce Nugent (Binghamton, N.Y.) drew consecutive one-out walks, Pacione singled to drive in Gauck and Gallic to tie the score at two apiece. After Pacione and Nugent moved up to second and third, respectively, on a wild pitch, a single by sophomore third baseman Jon Schwind (Hilton, N.Y.) drove home Nugent to make the score 3-2. Sophomore catcher Ben Luderer (River Vale, N.J.) followed with a two-run single give the Red Foxes their fourth and fifth runs of the inning.
George Washington scored once in the fourth to cut Marist's lead to 5-3, but Gallic provided an insurance run in the top of the seventh and final inning with his team-leading fourth home run of the season.
McKeown allowed three hits, two walks and three runs in his four innings while striking out three. Freshman right-hander Chris Bielak (Sayreville, N.J.) tossed a scoreless fifth, and freshman right-hander Brett Houseal (Landisville, Pa.) did not allow a run over the final two innings to earn his first collegiate save.
The two wins gave Marist a three-game series sweep over George Washington, as the Red Foxes are now back at .500 at 7-7. The Red Foxes this weekend at the Big 5 Tournament, as they will face Temple on Friday (3:15 p.m.), Villanova on Saturday (1:15 p.m.) and Saint Joseph's on Sunday (12:15 p.m.).
