Endicott's Starting Pitching, Big Bats Silences Curry in CCC Doubleheader
MILTON, Mass. – The Endicott baseball team swept CCC opponent Curry 9-2 and 15-0 to improve their season record to 18-7 (9-1 CCC) behind strong pitching performances from sophomore lefty Zac Poland (Essex Junction, Vt.) and senior righty Tyler Hill (Las Vegas, Nev.) as well as offensive input from several different players in the lineup.
MILTON, Mass. – The Endicott baseball team swept CCC opponent Curry 9-2 and 15-0 to improve their season record to 18-7 (9-1 CCC) behind strong pitching performances from sophomore lefty Zac Poland (Essex Junction, Vt.) and senior righty Tyler Hill (Las Vegas, Nev.) as well as offensive input from several different players in the lineup.
The Gulls will be off until Wednesday, April 16th when they travel to Southern Maine to complete their home and away doubleheader with the Huskies. Endicott defeated Southern Maine 16-7 back on March 28th when the Huskies were ranked #5 in the country.
Game One: Endicott 9, Curry 2
Freshman designated hitter Mike Kochiss (Fairfield, Conn.) drove in three, sophomore third baseman Matthew Paola (Middlebury, Conn.) scored three times, and Zac Poland (4-0) shut down the Colonels with seven strikeouts in a 9-2 complete-game win in game one.
Kochiss went 2-for-2 with a walk, three RBI, and two runs scored and Paola had two hits and two walks in five trips to the plate to lead the Endicott offense. Kochiss singled home Paola in the top of the first to start off the scoring and later scored on a RBI single to center by senior EJ Martinez (Brooklyn, N.Y.). Senior outfielder Tad Gold (Martha's Vineyard, Mass.) capped off the scoring in the top of the first at 3-0 by reaching home on a passed ball.
Kochiss got his second RBI in the second inning on a hit to right that plated Corbin Hyde (Lewiston, Maine) and his third in the fourth on a sacrifice fly that scored Paola.
Leading 7-1 heading into the sixth inning, Endicott tacked on their final two runs on a sacrifice fly to left by senior first baseman Brett Holmgren (Middleboro, Mass.) and a RBI single up the middle of the infield by sophomore Steve Morganelli (Milford, Mass.) that scored Kochiss.
Poland was effective on the bump for Endicott, allowing five hits, two walks, and two unearned runs while striking out seven Colonels. Poland has won in each of his three previous starts and has not allowed an earned run since March 28th.
Game Two: Endicott 15, Curry 0
Homeruns by Paola, Martinez, and sophomore Cody Hall (Rutland, Mass.) paced Endicott's 20-hit, 15-run outburst in game two while Hill was efficient on the mount through six innings of work, allowing just four hits with no free bases while striking out five in a 15-0 Gulls victory. Freshman pitcher Eric Nagle (Manchester, Conn.) pitched a 1-2-3 seventh with two strikeouts to help complete the doubleheader sweep over Curry.
Martinez hit a solo homerun in the third, Paola cleared the right field wall for a solo shot to lead off the sixth, and Hall sent a blast to deep center for a two-run homer with two outs in the same inning. Hyde went 3-for-4 with four RBI, Gold had three hits, three runs, and two RBI, and Holmgren and Morganelli both drove in runs in the win.
Endicott wasted no time getting out on top, scoring five runs in the top of the first thanks to Gold's two-RBI single, a Martinez RBI double to right center, and Hyde's single through the infield that plated two more.
The Gulls scored a run in the third on Martinez's solo homerun and two in the fifth on a wild pitch and Hyde's RBI hit to right before Endicott dropped seven runs in the top of the sixth to put the game out of reach.