NEW LONDON, Conn. – The United States Coast Guard Academy scored a combined 16 runs in the sixth inning and 27 runs overall as they steamrolled to a doubleheader sweep over the Keene State College baseball team, winning 15-1 and 12-3 on Saturday afternoon at Nitchman Field in the first ever meetings between the teams.
With a chance to move to .500, the Owls (4-7) never led in either game, but entered the sixth inning of both contests in contention – trailing 2-0 in the opener after a solid five-inning start from
Shea Zina and 4-2 in the nightcap despite falling into a 3-0 deficit after one inning. Both games got away rapidly from there, with the Bears (6-3) engineering a pair of interminable offensive innings against the Owls' bullpen that totaled up to 16 runs and 13 hits in the twinbill.
Remarkably, Coast Guard's 11-run sixth inning in the opener came after the first two batters of the inning popped and lined out to second, respectively. From there, the next 14 consecutive batters reached, including a two-run double by Nathan Stafford that made it 5-0 Coast Guard and a two-RBI single by Drew Basque that tacked on two more. The Owls helped the Bears along from there, with an error on Kael Godshalk's grounder to short prolonging the inning and allowing CGA to score six more times, the final of which came on another miscue.
Allowing big innings has become a major issue for KSC, which has allowed opponents to score three or more runs in a frame 15 times in 11 games this season. They are 1-6 in games in which they allow at least one three-run inning – the lone win when they allowed three in the fifth after a 13-run fourth inning gave them a 17-2 lead against Colby-Sawyer College earlier this week – and 3-1 otherwise. The sixth inning, in particular, became a problem this weekend, with KSC's 5-4 lead in the opener yesterday in a split against Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute turning into a 17-11 loss with the Engineers at one point scoring 11 consecutive runs late.
In addition to the sixth inning hit parade, KSC's staff walked 10 batters and hit another as Coast Guard had traffic on the bases all day, leaving 12 on base. Four Owl pitchers needed 185 pitches to get through eight innings, while the Bears' three arms needed just 104 pitches over nine. Vito Giordano (2-0) started and got the win for the home team, allowing just one run and three hits in seven innings with one walk and four strikeouts. Zina (0-1) allowed two runs on six hits while walking four and striking out seven over five frames in the loss.
KSC fell into an immediate deficit in the second game, trailing 3-0 after one inning. The uprising began with a miscue that should have been the second out in as many batters. From there, Stafford followed with an RBI single to center, and two batters later Rick Barkley did the same for a 2-0 lead. A pair of free passes were intermixed, and a third run came across on a bases loaded balk.
The Owls twice drew within two, including two batters into the second when Zina and
Ethan Rainha lashed consecutive doubles. KSC also generated an answer to Carson Cho's RBI single that made it 4-1 by loading the bases with nobody out in the top of the third as
Quin Barton walked before Lucas Anderson and
Tommy Ahlers singled, but the only run the Owls could muster came on an error when catcher Parker Madden threw away a double play ball down the right field line after Barton was forced out at the plate. Two looking strikeouts left two on base, and despite
Jack Lang firing a 1-2-3 third that featured a strikeout of his own, the Owls never generated much momentum. After stranding Ahlers, who singled with two outs and stole second, in scoring position in the fifth, Zina worked a leadoff walk in the sixth and Joe Lucas worked a free pass two batters later to put two on in a 4-2 game. However, a 6-4-3 double play ended the inning and Coast Guard then put up five runs in the bottom half to run away – the big separating blow being Madden's two-run double to center that made it 6-2.
Down seven,
Anthony DiGiacomo stayed hot by cracking a leadoff double in the seventh, but John DiMarsico whiffed the next two. Ahlers, who had an eye-popping 15-for-28 week, got one run back with an RBI single with two outs, but KSC got no closer.
"Not many positives to take away from today," said Owls head coach
Justin Blood. "We did not play well, simple as that."
Joe Schlehuber (0-1) took the loss for Keene State, allowing two hits and three runs (two earned) in one inning. Lang followed with three innings of one-run ball and
Kyle Palardy a scoreless inning to keep the Owls in it.
Raymond Priddy (1-1) picked up the win for the Bears, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits in five frames. He walked one and struck out six. Coast Guard's pitching staff struck out 11 Owls overall, including five in the last three innings.
KSC begins a stretch of four consecutive days with games on Thursday (March 20) when they travel to Roger Williams University for a 3:00 p.m. first pitch.
