Comeback Kids

Finally we stopped the losing streak! In the bottom of the eighth inning we were down 2-0 to Binghamton and knew we needed this win to pick up morale.  Bryce Nugent led off the inning with a base hit up the middle however the next two batters would be retired.  With two outs in the eighth Jon Schwind and Eric Helmrich extended the inning with a walk and a HBP.  After a wild pitch that scored Nugent from third there were runners on second and third as freshman Pat Welsh stepped into the box.  Welsh hit a ground ball deep in the 6 hole and reached base safely which allowed Schwind to score from third base to tie the game.  As the game is tied 2-2 at this point, freshman Nick McQuail is due up with the winning run at third.  McQuail hit a hard ground ball through the left side scoring Helmrich from third giving us the lead and the eventual win.  This weekend the Red Foxes take on St. Peters in a three game series that we desperately need to win.

Swept Again…

This was a frustrating weekend to say the least.  During the first game (7 innings) we were down 11-4 in the last inning and we started to surge back.  We scored 4 in the last inning but it wasn’t enough to overcome Manhattan. We lost the first game 11-8 but still had another one to play.  Through the first six innings of the second game we held Manhattan to 3 runs on only three hits however our offense could not get it going.  We could only push across a single run and everyone’s frustration was boiling over at this point.  We are 22-12 now and since we have lost our last two weekend series we need to win the majority of our last conference games to at least make our conference tournament. 

Marist Clips

This is a video clip of us at Towson during our spring break trip.Marist Baseball

Rough Start to the Weekend

This past weekend the Red Foxes took on the Manhattan Jaspers.  We know this is always a tough matchup but realize that if we play the game the right way, get some timely hitting and solid pitching we’ll be okay.  This is obviously easier said than done.  Our first game against Manhattan was on Friday and nothing went our way.  We had three errors in the field and gave the Jaspers 2 unearned runs in the third giving Manhattan a four run lead.  Chad Gallagher started on the mound and gave us a chance to win.  He scattered 9 hits over 8 innings while striking out 5.  You can’t ask for much more on the mound.  Although, I don’t think we got a timely hit all weekend.  We had 8 hits with only 1 run to show.  As our once red hot offense has cooled off frustration starts to set in.  Everyone is pressing to make a drastic change but that’s not what we need. We need to stay with our approach and recently everyone seems to be trying to hit a 7-run homerun.  (Which is impossible by the way).   Losing is a part of baseball but it’s how you adjust and come back from those losses that will define us as a team.   We go back to Manhattan on Sunday for a doubleheader starting at noon.

U Albany

The worst thing about waiting out the rain to play baseball is the numerous tarp pulls.  We pull a massive tarp over the entire infield when it rains to try to keep our infield dry.  But with the tarp looking like it’s been around since Vietnam and the vast amount of holes in the tarp leaking water it kind of defeats the purpose of covering the field in the first place.  And of course who do you think has to pull the tarp on and off?  We do!  After pulling the tarp, fixing the infield, fixing the bullpen, and getting rid of the small pond in shallow right field we finally get to play.  With these types of games, it seems like a lull the entire day.  Everyone knew we were going to win.  I mean we weren’t going to do all this work to the field just to lose.  Nothing big happened in the game, we didn’t play exceptional well but we got the win and that’s all that matters.

During the Week

It seems as though this rain will never stop.  Our double header against Brown University was postponed today due to inclement weather.  The question now is what to do on our day off?

Well with our constant traveling it’s always good to catch up on some school work and keep in touch with your teachers.  I know it sound boring, and it is, but doing work on our own time and managing time is part of being a college baseball player.  And let me be clear, today’s cancellation gave us a day off from games but not from practicing.  We still had a three hour practice in the middle of the day and continued to work towards our ultimate goal; to win a MAAC championship.  Tomorrow we go back at it against Albany University and can’t help but start to get excited for this weekend at Manhattan.

Swept

Sunday we took on Rider University for the third time this weekend.  Rider jumped out to an early lead scoring two runs in the top of the first although the Red Foxes soon struck back.  It was a tie game, 2-2, in the bottom of the sixth.  But yet again, we couldn’t string together hits in the back half of the game.  The tie was broken open in the 8^th and 9^th innings when Rider scored 2 runs in the last two innings.  We ended up losing that game and got swept for the weekend.

Couldn’t Put it Together

This weekend we played Rider University at home however we didn’t except to come away with a loss.  Our first game of the double header Dan Zlotnick was on the mound and threw the ball well for the first 4 innings until he couldn’t find the zone.  Multiple walks later Rider is all of the sudden ahead 4-2 in the 5^th.  We could only push across one more run which brought us our first loss against Rider.

We still had another game to play that day and knew we had a good chance to win with Chad Gallagher on the mound for the 7-inning game.  Although we could not string any hits together and also had two costly errors.  The Red Foxes came away with 2 runs on 5 hits during the contest but if would not be enough to overcome Rider.  Rider put up the nail in the coffin in the top of the seventh to make the score 3-2.  Although Gallagher pitched well enough to win we could not get it going offensively and struggled defensively.  You’re not going to win many ball games when you are shaky in the field. We still have another 9-inning game tomorrow and we need to be better as a whole.

Bucknell/Holy Cross

As we kept thinking about the upcoming weekend against rider, we continued to play good baseball leading up to one of the more crucial series of the year.  It started at Bucknell where starting pitcher Chris Bielak threw 7 shutout innings and the Red Fox offense would not be denied.  They came away with 10 hits, 16 walks, and 13 runs to beat Bucknell 13-1 in Lewisburg, Pa.

We took on Holy Cross the next day and this game was a little closer than we anticipated.  We understand mid-week games are to boost the stats and get yourself ready for conference play but we also do want to win these games.  As the game was tied in the bottom of the eighth 5-5, Marist pressed to push across a run. Zach Shank laid down a bunt to the Holy Cross 3^rd baseman who misplayed the situation and threw the ball away as Ricky Pacione came around from third to score the winning run.

Chance to win a series

We were off to a good start with Mike Orefice’s three-run home run in the top of the third giving us a 3-0 lead.  In the bottom half of the inning starting pitcher, Kyle Putnam, left the game with a knee injury and was replaced by Sean McKeown.  McKeown held Canisius to two runs on only one hit over his 4.2 innings of relief.  The Red Fox offense out hit Canisius 11-4 and ended up scoring a total of seven runs.  Jake Rifkin pitched the last 2.2 innings closing out the game and securing our win.  We won our second conference series in a row and head to Bucknell University on Tuesday to try to pick up our 20^th win of the season.

Big Weekend

Every year when we play Canisius it’s a slugfest. And it was no different this year.  Our first game it was a back and forth battle all day.  By the bottom of the fourth we were winning 8-5 and then the wheels came off.  Canisius struck back for seven runs in the 6^th inning taking a 12-8 lead and the eventual win.  However, we still had another game today and we couldn’t let this loss affect us too much. 

Chad Gallagher started the second game on the mound and kept the momentum on our side.  Gallagher threw a complete game giving up only 3 three runs.  The Red Fox offense kept swinging the bats and put up seven runs in the top of the second and never looked back.  We ended up putting another six runs on the board and picked up the win.  After bearing the Buffalo cold all day, we split the double header and will have a rubber match tomorrow with Kyle Putnam starting on the bump.

Bryant/ Hofstra

We got to the freezing cold Smithfield, RI where there was a constant overcast and the wind did not let up all day.  Chris Bielak started on the mound for the Red Foxes giving up only 2 runs through 5 innings.  But offensively we could not get the bats going.  I believe the unbearable cold certainly had something to do with us not hitting extremely well as a whole.  Although Bryant only scored 3 runs it was enough to get them the win as the Red Foxes could only push across a single run.  We are currently 16-5 and quickly erase this game from our memories.  The great thing about baseball is that we get to play every day.   Tomorrow we go to Hofstra to try to get back our momentum.

As we took on Hofstra our offense broke out early scoring eight runs in the third inning with two outs. Although, Hofstra fought back into the game in the 4^th and 5^th inning make it a 9-7 game.  The Red Fox offense quickly responded with 3 more runs however Hofstra put up a 4-spot in the eighth making it a one run game.  Eric Alessio finally closed the door as we just barely scrapped by with another win.  Our bullpen needs to be better especially when we take on Canisius this weekend. Hopefully we’ll be able to keep it together.

Putnam back on track

Kyle Putnam led the way Sunday on the mound going 5.1 innings while allowing only 2 runs on 4 hits.  Putnam had some struggles the beginning of this year but is back on the right track winning his third straight start.  Mike Orefice, Jon Schwind, and Zach Shank all had multi-hit games and paved the way offensively to the 5-2 victory.  We won our first conference series but can’t celebrate for too long.  We travel to Bryant University and then Hofstra University during the week for two crucial momentum games to get us ready for our weekend series against Canisius.

Conference Play

After running through our schedule so far we are currently on a 12-game winning streak.  But, we also understand that we eventually will lose a game.  It’s inevitable.  Not because we are an inconsistent team but simply due to the fact that it’s baseball.   With a 50 some odd game schedule we’re bound to get the short end of the stick once in a while.  But as we took on the Fairfield Stags in our home opener we focused on the game at hand.  Dan Zlotnick was on the mound for us and gave us five solid innings holding Fairfield to only two runs.  Despite the freezing cold weather, our bats stayed hot putting up seven runs. We won that game 7-2 extending our streak to 13 but we also had to get in the zone again for the 7-inning contest.

Chad Gallagher started the second game on the mound against Fairfield and once again shut down the opposing offense only allowing two runs through eight innings.  Gallagher gave our offense a chance to put up some numbers however; we could not string together the hits we needed to put this one away.  We went into extra innings with the game tied two-two. Although we didn’t go down without a fight, we could not come out on top.  Fairfield made some great plays to keep them in them game which, unfortunately, ended our win streak.  As we split the doubleheader we will have a rubber match Sunday and we all know we need to win this one to win the series. .

Bus Ride Back to NY

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/video/video.php?v=1675013639666

Doing it, Doing it, and Doing it well

Stay hot ball foxes!  Our offense has been our defining factor this trip and today they kept it going.  I think everyone and their mother got a hit today.  The Red Foxes put up an astounding seventeen runs against GW and picked up our pitching that was not the greatest today.  We gave up nine runs to GW but a win is a win. We need to pick up our pitching though if we plan to sweep GW who has some good hitters in their lineup. 

Chad Gallagher started the second game on the mound against GW and was outstanding.  Gallagher went eight innings while only giving up one run.  Gallagher carved up the GW lineup and let our offense do their thing.  Reaching double digits once again, the Red Foxes put up ten runs.  Not taking anything away from Gallagher who did a remarkable job on the mound but it does give the pitcher some breathing room when the offensive is constantly putting up crooked numbers on the scoreboard.  Yet our bullpen still needs to figure it out giving up four runs in the ninth.  This concerns most of the team who realize that once we get conference play those kind of big innings cannot happen if we stand any kind a chance against the big teams like Canisius or Rider. 

One more game away from going undefeated during our spring trip and everyone knows it.  Everyone is locked in, focused, and knows what we need to do to win.  We certainly stepped up and executed; and then some.  The ball fox offense one-upped their previous game by putting up nineteen runs with twenty-one hits.  We kept pouring on the runs scoring in seven different innings.  We did not let up one bit.  On the mound, Kyle Putnam shut down the GW offense only allowing one run over five innings and the bullpen locked it down not giving up a run the rest of the game.  And I feel like moneyyyyy!!!!! Our eleventh straight win to take us into conference play we could not be happier. 

On to the next one….

 As we left the dreary state of Delaware, we got to Towson and finally got to at least practice in baseball weather; 65 and sunny.  Everyone focused on the game at hand we know we have to win these next two games.  Chris Beilack started the game and went three innings while giving up 3 runs.  Sean McKeown stepped on the bump in the bottom of the fourth and went four strong innings giving up no runs while Jake Rifken and Eric Alessio did the same in the eighth and ninth.  It was a tie game, 3-3, until the 7^th inning when Mike Gallic broke open the game with a two-run double and soon after a 3-run homerun by Zach Shank.  We took the first game from Towson 8-3 still riding our hot streak.  Can we keep it going?

Brett Houseal got the start on the mound the second game against Towson and did not disappoint.  Houseal went six innings while only allowing one run and four hits.  Yet again, our offensive came to play.  At this point we do not have a weak link in the lineup.  Everyone contributes whether it is getting a bunt down to move a runner into scoring position or hitting the good-ahead homerun.  For a small mid-major school like us, the success of our season really depends on how the freshmen adjust to college ball.  So far everyone has done a phenomenal job of understanding their role and doing things the right way.  And it shows in the results.  We ended winning the second game at Towson 9-4 boosting our record to 11-3.  Keeping the momentum with us we are now headed to George Washington University for a three game series to finish out our trip.

This is Spring Baseball?

Our first stop on our spring break trip was Delaware St. and we picked up right where we left off.  With Dan Zlotnick on the mound, and giving us another solid start, the Red Fox bats exploded for ten runs.  Zlotnick was wildly effective taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning while striking out 10 in 7.1 innings.  Despite Zlotnick’s stellar performance on the mound, today the offensive was certainly something to write home about.  Mike Gallic and Jon Schwind both homered while Eric Helmrich and Nick McQuail both had two hits.  Although it doesn’t feel like spring baseball, our offensive was hot despite the cold weather.  We won that game 10-3 and looking to keep our streak going.

Our second game against Delaware St. we were very good on the mound once again.  Kyle Putnam started and went six scoreless innings while Sean McKeown kept throwing up zeros to close out the last three innings. Although we did not get into the double digits today offensively, we still stayed red hot at the plate scoring 6 runs.  Ricky Pacione, Bryce Nugent, Mike Orefice, and Mike Gallic all had multi-hit games with a combined five RBIs.  We’re all looking forward to tomorrow not only for the sweep but to finally leave boring Dover, Delaware.

Chad Gallagher started on the mound for the third game against Delaware St. and once again the offensive came out of the gate swinging.  We scored a total of eleven runs today along with fourteen hits.  Despite Delaware St. coming out with an early lead in the top of the first, the Red Foxes topped that with four runs in the bottom half and never looked back.  The Red Fox bullpen, Brett Houseal, Jordan Eich, Brendan Chapin, and Eric Alessio, also did not give up an earned run and keep the momentum on our side.  With our second sweep in a row we now go to Towson, Maryland with all the confidence in the world.  These next two games against Towson are the defining games in our spring break spring. 

Off to a Good Start against Richmond

Dan Zlotnick started our Friday game against Richmond and, once again, has a solid outing only allowing one run while striking out seven.  Offensively we strung together good at-bats against the Richmond starter and ended up with nine hits and six runs on the day.  Our bullpen held down the back half of the game with Chris Bielak, Jake Rifken, and Eric Alessio throwing up goose eggs (0s) and only allowing two hits. We took the game 6-1 and the momentum is on our side; for now.

With inclement weather looming in the Richmond area we decided to play a double header on Saturday instead of one Saturday and one Sunday.  Chad Gallagher started the first game and went eight strong innings on the mound only allowing two runs on five hits.  As Gallagher cruised through the game our offensive exploded for twelve runs.  As we won the first game 12-3 we knew we still had to win the next one for the sweep.

Senior Sean McKeown spot started the second game in place of regular starter Kyle Putnam who was still trying to work out the kinks in his mechanics.  The Red Foxes jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first two innings thanks to the big bat of Ricky Pacione.  There was no looking back from there.  McKeown went five strong innings while only allowing one hit, which came way back in the first, and no runs.  But the bullpen has another rough third game allowing 5 runs in the back half of the game.  But as the offense continued to pick up our pitching we held on to the win in the end.  We swept!!! And going home a day early!!!!!  We’re excited about the sweep but more excited about the fact that everyone played well.  As of now we’re posting a record of 6-3 with all the momentum in the world carrying us into our spring break trip to face Delaware St., Towson University, and George Washington University. With constant glimpses of good pitching and hitting I wonder if we can string it together for our entire spring trip. 

Gallic Being a Dude

What does it mean to be a dude? Being a dude means being the guy with multiple multi-hit games or, for a pitcher, throwing up zeros on the score board and taking the momentum out of the other team.  Mike Gallic was a dude this past weekend at UNC Wilmington going 8-12 with four doubles as well as posting a slugging percentage of 1.000.  Gallic was named MAAC Player of the Week as he is currently hitting .360 and leads the team with four stolen bases.

Struggling on Sunday

The main thing to be successful in college baseball is to win the 3-game series and, when the opportunity arises, take advantage and sweep a team.  Yet we continued to struggle on the mound Sunday against Miami (Ohio).  Although we only gave up nine hits, which isn’t terrible in college baseball, we also allowed eight walks and three hit batters.  Starting pitcher Kyle Putnam had a rough day at the office giving up 5 runs within the first two innings and our bullpen wasn’t much better.  We had a great weekend overall but went home with a sour taste in our mouth.  We ended up losing 8-1 but took a lot of positives away from this weekend.  A lot of freshman stepped up and played well and most of the pitchers had a good weekend overall.  We quickly erased the memory of the Sunday and headed back to freezing cold New York to get ready for Richmond. 

Putting the Pieces Together

With snow still covering much of the northeast, we traveled to UNC Wilmington to participate in The Hughes Brothers Challenge. Our first game against host UNC Wilmington, sophomore Dan Zlotnick threw the ball well going 6.2 innings strong while only allowing 2 runs.  In a close 3-2 ball game, we tacked on some insurance runs in the top of the eighth extending our lead to 5.  However, Wilmington would respond with two runs in the bottom of the eighth making it a 5-4 game.    With one out in the ninth and the tying run on second senior left fielder Ricky Pacione stepped up and had the defensive play of the game.  As a ground ball finds its way through the 6-hole and the tying run rounding third and coming to the plate, Pacione comes up throwing and throws out the tying run in a bang-bang play at the plate.  Our dugout erupts with excitement!  Fifth year senior Eric Alessio sacked up and struck out the next batter looking to end the game.

Our next opponent that weekend was West Virginia University.  West Virginia capitalized on our mistakes quickly in the top of the first by putting up four runs.  But we came right back with three runs in the bottom of the first.  It was a back and forth battle all day but the bullpen solidified the win in the end.  Sean McKeown, Jake Rifken, and Kevin McCarthy gave up zero runs with no hits in the last four innings.  The bullpen gave the Red Fox offense a chance to win the game and they did just that.  They put up the final two runs in the sixth which would be the nails in the coffin for WVU as the Red Foxes walked away with a 9-8 victory. 

Opening Weekend

The Marist Red Foxes opened up their season with a less than enjoyable fourteen hour bus ride to East Tennessee State. However, as Marist is in NY, our field was covered with snow and we could not practice outside.  We resorted to practicing in McCann gym for months; pulling the cages, taking ground balls on center-court, and throwing bullpens in a dimly lit portion of the gym.  In our season opener, we played just as if no one had touched a baseball field since the fall. Poor pitching and inconsistent hitting gave us our first loss of the season. 

Saturday we broke out led by starting pitcher Chad Gallagher. As ETSU jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first, Gallagher threw 4.2 scoreless innings after that and racking up a career high ten strikeouts. Bryce Nugent had his second big fly of the year knocking in 2 of the Red Foxes 5 runs. Mike Orefice and Ricky Pacione also had multi-hit games. 

The Sunday game was a different story of us on the mound.  The Marist pitching staff had a rough day on the mound giving up 11 runs with 8 walks and 3 hit batters.   Allowing free base runners for ETSU was the theme for our Sunday game and it cost us the game.  We ended up losing 11-5.  Now posting a record of 1-2 after our first weekend, we were already thinking about taking on UNC Wilmington.