Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

WEYMOUTH, Mass. – Eastern Nazarene University pitchers Francis Ferguson and Jon Tessier combined to allow two unearned runs and seven hits while striking out 20 over 16 innings – a pair of complete games (one nine innings and one seven) – as the Lions shut down the Keene State College baseball team 4-0 and 4-2 in a pair of games Sunday afternoon at Libby Field in Weymouth, an off-campus venue 15 minutes south of the ENC campus in Quincy.

Records

• Keene State:  5-10
• Eastern Nazarene:  16-3

How It Happened – Game One
Tommy Ahlers singled to start the game and Hamilton Barnes reached on catcher's interference before Nathaniel Hudson's sacrifice bunt moved both into scoring position, but the Owls squandered that opportunity and that wound up setting the tone for the game – and ultimately the day – as they were held off the board until the seventh and final inning of the second game.  Two days after being held hitless for until there was one out in the seventh in the second of two games at Clark University, they had three hits (all singles) in the opener on this day and were shut down by Ferguson, who pitched a complete game three-hitter with four walks and 12 strikeouts on 133 pitches.  He also induced 10 ground ball outs.  KSC also had a runner in scoring position in the second when Emmet Borenstein singled with one out and moved up on an error, but a pair of whiffs ended that frame, and the Owls had just one hit over the final seven innings after.  Borenstein walked to begin the fifth with KSC down 3-0, but pinch-runner Eli Oliver was picked off.  Later, Junior Santos reached on an error and Tommy Ahlers singled into left to put two on with two out, but a grounder to second ended the inning.  Hudson walked to lead off the sixth, but was immediately erased on a double play.

The Lions did not hit the ball all over the ballpark, but did more than enough offensively to support Ferguson.  They quickly took a 2-0 lead in the first to put the Owls behind when Jaime Roldan worked a two-out bases loaded walk and Anderson Jimenez singled to short consecutively.  It seemed Keene State and starter Jake Jachym might work out of trouble after Frank Landeiro flew into a double play that also cut down Elvis Rojas at the plate, who had led off with a single, but instead the Lions still put up the pair without getting the ball out of the infield.  Eastern Nazarene tacked on single runs in the fourth and seventh to double their total, getting a double from Brandon Guerrero and a single from Kelvin Cortez with a subsequent miscue in the first two batters of the former frame to go up 3-0.  Shane McNamara doubled to start the seventh and scored on consecutive fly outs for a fourth run.

Jachym (0-2) took the loss, allowing six hits and three runs in 3.1 innings.  He walked two and struck out four.  Evan Cali followed him in relief and allowed one run and two hits in 3.2 innings, issuing two free passes and whiffing three.

Ferguson improved to 3-1, winning his third consecutive appearance after losing to Penn State University-Berks on March 4.

Ahlers finished 2-for-4 at the plate for KSC, but Borenstein was the only other player with a hit.  He also walked.  The Owls were held without an extra-base hit in the game.

How It Happened – Game Two
The second contest, scheduled for seven innings, followed a very similar script, except with Tessier on the mound for the Lions instead of Ferguson.  KSC went down in three batters four times in the first six innings, and in the second let a one out double from Josh Beayon slip away.  The Owls' only other baserunner in that span came in the fourth when Jonathan Chatfield walked with two outs.

Also like the opener, Keene State faced a deficit right away as Rojas walked, stole second, and then scored on Ferguson's single to left center.  Ferguson then swiped a bag himself to get into scoring position before McNamara's walk, an at bat where he moved to third on a wild pitch.  The pair then executed a double steal to make it 2-0 in the first.

Eastern Nazarene tacked on single runs in the second and fourth to continue adding to their lead.  In the second, Eduardo Labour began the frame with a double to right and scored quickly when then next batter Guerrero singled to right center to make it 3-0.  The Owls avoided more damage in the inning when Mark Barrett threw out Guerrero trying to score on Roldan's single to left with two outs.  Despite getting just one hit in the fourth, the Lions still made it 4-0 thanks to two walks that sandwiched the hit prior to McNamara's grounder to second.  KSC's pitching staff overall issued seven free passes in the game.

The Owl offense broke the shutout in a last ditch rally attempt in the seventh as Chatfield and Beayon singled with one out to put runners on the corners, with the former scoring when Labour threw the ball away from left field on Borenstein's fly ball.   Evan McCue made it a 4-2 game with a double to the right center gap to bring  the tying run to the plate with two down, but Cali grounded back to Tessier to end the game – perhaps fitting on a day when Eastern Nazarene had two starters pitch complete games and did not allow an earned run.

"We faced a couple of good arms today," said Keene State head coach Justin Blood.  "Nazarene is athletic, played solid 'D' and their pitchers had good stuff, but we did not capitalize on their mistakes and we gave up too many free 90's on our end."

Tessier (3-1) allowed two unearned runs and four hits in the effort, walking one and striking out eight on 109 pitches.

Daniel Cantafi got his second start for the Owls and took the loss, allowing four runs and five hits in three-plus innings.  He walked five (one intentionally) and struck out two.  Dean Ruzich and Kyle Palardy pitched scoreless relief from there.

The Owls finished with four hits in the game, two coming from Beayon (2-3, 2B, R).  Chatfield was 1-for-2, walked, and scored a run.

"We had some loud outs today and didn't get rewarded for some of our better swings," said Blood.  "It is just how the game works…it has a way of evening itself out though and I'm confident we will put more runs on the board as the year progresses."

Seven different Lions recorded a hit in the game, with Labour going 2-for-3 with a double.  Guerrero was 1-for-2 with an RBI, walk, and a run, with the pair representing the No. 8 and No. 9 hitters in the ENC order.  The first five in the ENC order also all recorded a base hit.

Around the Horn

• Jachym has 10 strikeouts over his first eight career innings.
• KSC is 1-8 when scoring three runs or fewer, with the lone win coming on March 15 in the second game of a doubleheader against Worcester State.  They are currently hitting .215 as a team.
• The two teams had not met since last year; ENC has won all three meetings, with the Owls mustering six runs total.

Up Next

• Keene State is scheduled for their home opener, which will kick off five consecutive games at Owl Athletic Complex this week, on Tuesday, March 28 against Salem State University (2-10) at 3:00 p.m.  The Owls beat the Vikings 9-3 in Myrtle Beach 13 days ago.
• Eastern Nazarene, which went 21-19-1 a year ago, visits Massachusetts Maritime Academy (9-5) on the same day at 4:00 p.m.