March 20, 2010
Box Score
PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. - The Marist baseball team won its sixth consecutive game on Saturday, as the Red Foxes defeated Villanova 11-10 in the Big 5 Tournament. Senior shortstop Richard Curylo (Staten Island, N.Y.) paced the Red Foxes offensively by going 3-for-5 with three runs scored, two RBIs and his third home run of the season.
Freshman right fielder Bryce Nugent (Binghamton, N.Y.) hit his third home run of the season, a two-run shot in the sixth inning.
Marist started strong, scoring four runs in the top of the first. Curylo started the rally by singling, advancing to second on an error, stealing third and then scoring on a throwing error. Although Villanova answered for three in the bottom of the frame, the Red Foxes added to their lead with a pair of runs in the top of the second. Senior second baseman John Prano (Oviedo, Fla.) doubled, advanced to third on a bunt single by Curylo, and then scored on a sacrifice fly by senior first baseman Ryan Gauck (Clifton Park, N.Y.). Curylo then scored from first on a double by junior center fielder Michael Gallic (Tolland, Conn.) to put Marist up 6-3.
Villanova scored twice in the bottom of the second to cut its deficit to 6-5, but Marist scored three more times in the top of the third. Freshman designated hitter Zach Shank (Lititz, Pa.) started a one-out rally with a double, and scored on a doubly by Stuckey to put Marist up 7-5. Curylo then hit his inside-the-park home run two hitters later to give Marist a 9-5 lead.
The Red Foxes led 9-6 in the sixth when Nugent's two-run blast gave them a five-run lead again. However, Villanova scored twice in the sixth to make it 11-8. In the bottom of the ninth, the Wildcats scored twice and had the tying run on second and the winning run on first with two away. At that point, sophomore right-hander Jake Rifkin (West Deptford, N.J.) came in and needed just three pitches to get the final out of the game, as he recorded his first save of the season.
Junior right-hander Brendan Chapin (South Weymouth, Mass.) pitched the fourth and fifth innings to record his first win of the season. Freshman left-hander Dan Zlotnick (Somers, N.Y.) relieved Chapin and struck out five in 3.2 innings.
Marist now stands at 9-7; Villanova fell to 13-3. The Red Foxes will close out play in the Big 5 Tournament on Sunday, when they face Saint Joseph's. First pitch is scheduled for 12:15 p.m.
