Baseball Takes Two From Anna Maria to Extend Win Streak to Six
WORCESTER, Mass. - Seniors Jesse Bruinsma (Lynnfield, Mass.) and Tim Sweeney (Walpole, Mass.) were a combined 11-for-17 with 11 runs scored and 10 runs batted in to lead the Curry College baseball team to a sweep over Anna Maria College in The Commonwealth Coast Conference doubleheader at WPI’s Alumni Field on Sunday afternoon. With the sweep, the Colonels improve to 7-5 overall and a perfect 4-0 in the conference, while the AMCATS fall to an even 5-5 on the season and 1-3 in TCCC play.
The Colonels were paced by Bruinsma, who went 6-for-10 on the day with five runs scored and five runs batted in. Sweeney was equally impressive, going 5-for-8 with six runs scored and five runs batted in. Senior Tony Luciani (Weymouth, Mass.) also had a strong day, reaching base on seven of his 10 plate appearances and scoring five runs. Sophomore Miles Galvin (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) was terrific in his game one start, earning the win by tossing six innings of one-run ball while striking out five. Junior Mike Hughes (Middleboro, Mass.) got the win in game two, striking out five batters in five innings while allowing four earned runs.
Senior Jeff Lander (Gloucester, Mass.), junior Jeff Kodys (Holden, Mass.), and freshman Mike Guarnieri (Wallington, Conn.) each had two hits for the AMCATS, while junior James McNamara (Worcester, Mass.) had a team-high two runs batted in. Freshman Dean Diamantopouos (Shrewsbury, Mass.) pitched well in the game one loss, allowing just one earned run through five innings, but was victimized by several costly AMC miscues in the field behind him.
The Colonels jumped on the board early in game one when Bruinsma drove in Luciani with an RBI-single in the top of the first inning.
Diamantopoulos settled in after the first, blanking the Colonels for the next three frames to keep the AMCATS close.
Anna Maria tied the game in the bottom of the fourth when Jeff Scafidi (Worcester, Mass.) scored on a line drive single to left off the bat of McNamara.
However, the AMCATS made four costly errors over the next two innings, allowing the Colonels to plate eight runs on just four hits, while earning the 9-1 victory.
The Colonels started the second game the same as the first, with Bruinsma driving home Luciani with a first-inning RBI single up the middle to grab a 1-0 lead.
The AMCATS clawed back with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning, getting a sac fly from Scafidi, an RBI ground out from McNamara, and a run-scoring triple by Guarnieri to take a 3-1 lead.
The Colonels responded by exploding with a six-run third inning, pounding out five hits during the frame while also taking advantage of two costly AMC errors. Bruinsma delivered a two-run double during the rally, while junior Brad Hawn (Chino Hills, Calif.) and Tim Sweeney contributed RBI singles.
The Curry offense continued to pour it on for the remainder of the game, scoring at least one run in every inning but the second, including seven runs over the final two frames, to capture the 16-5 win.
Both teams will be back in action on Tuesday, with the Colonels traveling to face Eastern Nazarene in a TCCC doubleheader starting at 2:00 pm, and the AMCATS hosting Fitchburg State in a 3:30 pm non-conference matchup. (Recaps courtesy of Anna Maria Sports Information)