Box Score

CARY, North Carolina – With a 10-8 comeback win over the Bucknell Bison in the final game of the series on Sunday, the Marist baseball team captured its first series win of 2017. With the win, the Red Foxes now stand at 2-1 on the season, their best start to a campaign since 2009. 

The series victory marked the first time in head coach Chris Tracz's eight year tenure the team won its season opening series and the first in program history since 2009.

For the second consecutive day, redshirt senior Matt Pagano led Marist offensively, going 2-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI, while junior Andrew Rouse picked up his first hit of the season in a 2-for-3 effort with a walk, a run scored and one RBI. Sophomore Frankie Gregoire hit his second home run in as many days and went 1-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI and sophomore Randy Taveras went 2-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI, his first run scored and RBI in a Red Fox uniform. Redshirt freshman Tyler Kapuscinski went 1-for-1 with two runs scored and three walks, redshirt junior Greg Kocinski chipped in a 1-for-3 effort with a run scored and two walks and junior Matt Iantosca finished 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.

On the mound, Scott Boches got the start, his first of the year, and pitched four innings and surrendered three runs (all earned) on two hits with four walks and three strikeouts. Senior John Parisi picked up the win, his first in a Marist uniform, throwing three innings, giving up one run on two hits with three walks and two strikeouts and junior Senior Ryan Thomas pitched one plus innings, giving up four runs (2 earned) on four hits with no walks and one strike out and Tony Romanelli got the save, the first of his career, pitching an inning while giving up no runs on no hits with two strikeouts.

The Bison got on the board in the top of the first inning when Brett Smith led off with a double, Luke Johnson walked and Danny Rafferty was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Following a strikeout, Mike Korchak reached on a fielder's choice that retired Rafferty at second, moved Johnson to third and allowed Smith to score to make it 1-0. Tyler Wincig walked to load the bases and Keifer Rawlings followed with a two run single to extend the lead to 3-0 Bucknell.

The Red Foxes answered with a run in the bottom of the second. Pagano led off with a single and three batters later, Rouse doubled, scoring Pagano and it was 3-1 Bison.

After Parisi replaced Boches in the fifth, Bucknell added a run in the seventh inning, off a walk by Chuckie Scales, who stole second and then third during the next two at bats. Johnson hit a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Scales and it was 4-1 Bison.

Marist answered right back in the bottom of the inning with back-to-back-to-back walks by Iantosca, Rouse and Lazar to load the bases with no outs. Kapuscinski was hit by a pitch to force in a run and Gregoire reached on an error by the second baseman that allowed both Rouse and Lazar to score and even the game at 4-4. Kocinski walked and following a pitching change, Taveras ripped a double that scored both Gregoire and Kapuscinski and the Red Foxes had their first lead, 6-4, with men on second and third. Pagano followed with a second double, scoring Taveras and Kocinski to make it 8-4 Marist.

One inning later, Marist added two more runs when Kapuscinski walked and Gregoire launched a home run over the center field fence, his second in as many games and it was 10-4 Red Foxes.

Thomas replaced Parisi in the eighth inning and down to their last at bat in the top of the ninth, Bucknell battled back when Evan Klugerman led off with a single, JohnPaul Bell pinch hit and singled and Smith singled to load the bases with no outs. Johnson reached on an error by the third baseman that scored Klugerman, advanced Bell to third and Smith to second and the lead was down to 10-5. With the bases loaded and no outs, Rafferty followed with a double that scored Smith and Bell to trim the deficit to 10-7 with men on second and third. The Red Foxes then made a pitching change, bringing in Romanelli, who quickly got a strikeout, before Miles Moore pinch hit and grounded out to third base, scoring Johnson to make it 10-8. That was as close as the Bison would get however, as Romanelli struck out the next batter to secure the 10-8 win and 2-1 series win for the Red Foxes.

Up next, Marist travels to Mississippi State, MS for a matchup against the Indiana State Sycamores on Friday, Feb. 24^th (1 PM), before facing the reigning Southeastern Conference Champion (SEC) #32 Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday, Feb. 25^th (1 PM). The Red Foxes will then play a second game against Indiana State (11 AM) and Mississippi State (2 PM) on Sunday, Feb. 26^th.