April 24, 2006

Box Score

BRIDGEPORT, CT - Senior hurler Chris Aldrich (Medway, MA) threw a complete-game two hitter in the nightcap to help the Sacred Heart University baseball team salvage a split of a Northeast Conference doubleheader with Mount St. Mary's on Monday afternoon. In the opener, Matt Eiden had three hits and scored a pair of runs, while junior Dustin Pease threw his third complete game of the season to lead The Mount to 3-2 win.

The only run of the second game came in the second inning when junior Jason Maiella (N. Haledon, NJ) singled with one out. He went to second on an infield hit by Rob Tencza (Meriden, CT) and scored on a single to left by catcher Jamie Morales (Mt. Vernon, NY) with two out.

Maiella also made what could have been a game-saving play in the top of the seventh, robbing Eiden of a leadoff double down the left field line by laying out, knocking the ball down, getting up and throwing a strike to first.

Aldrich, who set down the final 14 Mountaineer batters he faced, struck out two and didn't issue a walk. The win pushed his record to 4-3. It was the second shutout of the year for the lefty.

In the opener, The Mount got to SHU starter Jay Monti for two runs in the top of the fourth inning. Eiden led the frame off with a single to center and went to second on a line single to left by Josh Vittek. Joe Kotula sacrificed both runners into scoring position and Stephan Fay scored Eiden on a ground out to third. Vittek scored when a passed ball allowed him to get to third and a Monti wild pitch sent him home.

SHU, 16-21 overall and 8-6 in the NEC, got one back in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double by Josh Enos (Paulsboro, NJ). The Pioneers squandered a chance for more after the double. With runners on second and third and no one out, Pease got Maiella on a soft line drive to second and then struck Jeff Hanson out swinging, and Morales looking.

The Mountaineers, 16-19 overall and 6-8 in the conference, got the eventual winning run in the top of fifth when an error by SHU second baseman Phil Tantillo allowed Eiden to reach with one out. A double by Vittek put runners on second and third and a sacrifice fly by Katula gave The Mount a 3-1 lead.

In first two Pioneer hitters reached in the sixth on a walk to Rob Tencza and a single to center by Bobby McKee. Enos sacrificed the runners over and Maiella scored Tencza with a sacrifice fly. Hanson walked to put runners on first and second, but Morales popped out to second to end the inning.

Pease allowed just five SHU hits, striking out four and walking two to move to 7-4 on the year. Monti allowed six Mount hits and just two earned runs for the Pioneers. He struck out eight and walked one while falling to 4-3.