Jake Gumaer
Contributing Writer
The ESU Warriors baseball team bounced back in a big way this weekend.
After dropping two of three in last weekend’s games against Barton and Felician, the Warriors faced off for four games in two days down south against Chowan University, going 3-1 on Saturday and Sunday.
The bats got off to a hot start in the first game of the weekend as the Warriors jumped out to an early 2-0 lead thanks to an RBI double from Cameron Hubbard and an RBI single from captain Tim Haverstick. In the fourth inning, third-baseman Colin Houck added another run with a solo shot to left field for the first home run of his ESU career.
In the sixth inning, the Warriors put the game to bed, scoring a whopping six runs capped off by a three-run homer from Matt Ervolina to bring the final score to 11-0.
Starter Brent Francisco also bounced back from his no-decision last weekend, pitching six innings of two-hit, no-run ball before handing it off to the bullpen that didn’t allow a hit for the final three innings of the game.
Game two of the weekend started with more of the same, as the Warriors jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning, which included more RBIs from Houck and Hubbard. Chowan would attempt to build a comeback in the fourth and fifth innings against ESU starter Nick McAuliffe and reliever Jaden Newton, but could only come up with four runs, leading to an eventual 6-4 win in seven innings for the Warriors.
The squad’s first game of Sunday didn’t start as well as their two Saturday games, as Chowan’s bats managed a pair of RBI singles in the first and third inning, giving them a 2-0 lead off starter Ryan Dewees.
Outside of the two runs, Dewees was able to hold his own for over half the game thanks to some good defense behind him. On offense, the Warriors were able to tie the game in the fifth inning courtesy of RBIs from Houck and Jack Rothenhausler.
Reliever Johansel Brito took over with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, inheriting a runner at first base from Dewees. Brito induced a swinging strikeout on a changeup to leave the game tied and move to the penultimate sixth inning.
After three quick outs from the Warrior offense, Brito retook the mound and immediately gave up two quick hits to put runners on first and second base. After a quick strikeout, the bases became loaded after a throwing error by third baseman Houck. Three pitches later, Chowan regained the lead on a two-RBI single that hugged the left-field line.
Chowan would score one more unearned run, pushing their lead to 5-2. The Warriors couldn’t muster up a comeback, resulting in their first and only loss of the weekend.
The final game of the weekend looked bleak from the start, as Chowan jumped all over starter Gavin Sopko, chasing him out of the game in the second inning after five quick runs off a three-run home run, a bases-loaded walk and a passed ball. Quinn Warmkessel came into the game in relief, allowing three batters to reach base and giving up one run before handing the pitching duties off to freshman Carson Renner, who was able to stop the bleeding.
From this point on, the Warriors had their work cut out for them in order to build a comeback, and they did.
In the fourth inning, back-to-back home runs from Haverstick and Connor Reilly put four runs on the board, along with Jeremy Piatkiewicz scoring on a fielder’s choice, bringing the Warriors to within a run.
The fifth inning brought even more runs for the squad. After a four-pitch walk to Piatkiewicz forced in a run to tie the game, senior outfielder Mike Kelly stepped into the box with the bases loaded, looking to give ESU their first lead of the game. Kelly smoked a 1-0 pitch deep into right field for a grand slam, the first home run of his collegiate career. This gave way to a 10-6 Warrior lead in a game that ultimately ended in a 16-6 victory.
After this weekend’s results, the Warriors move to 4-3 on the season. The team’s next game is on March 2nd, as the Creek Show comes home and hopes to extend a five-game win streak against the Saint Anselm Hawks.