03/05/2009
Baseball Splits with Milwaukee School of Engineering

WINTER HAVEN, FLA. 3/5/09 - Clark University collected 17 hits en route to a 23-8 victory over the Milwaukee School of Engineering in Winter Haven, Fla., on Thursday afternoon.

The Cougars didn't waste any time getting on the board. With two outs, Phil DiMarco (Bellingham, Mass.) and Kevin Kopec (Katonah, N.H.) knocked in two runs each with a triple and double, respectively, to make it a 4-1 game. In the second inning, MSOE got a run back to trail 4-2, but Clark ignited for five more runs in the bottom of the frame to push its lead up to, 9-2. DiMarco hit a three-run homerun in the inning  his first round-tripper of the year.

The Raiders kept chipping away closing the gap to 9-7 after four, but Clark answered with four runs in its half of the frame, three in the fifth and batted around in the bottom of the sixth inning to score seven more runs and come away with the 23-8 final.

DiMarco went 2-for-4 with five RBI and Kopec went 3-for-5 with four RBI to lead the Cougars. Sophomore Scott Hollingsworth (Tilton, N.H.) added four hits for Clark.

Junior Jon Merritt (East Bridgewater, Mass.) struck out six to earn the win on the mound.

Clark's (3-7) rally came up just short in the second game, as they lost 13-12.

The Cougars pushed six runs across in the top of the third to tie the score six-all. A two-run single by Peter Lewis (Gardiner, Maine) and a three-run triple from DiMarco got Clark back in the game. Back from injury and making his first start of the spring, senior Ron Bathrick's (North Haven, Conn.) two-run double in the fourth gave the Cougars their first lead (8-6) of the game.

The two teams traded runs in the fifth inning. MSOE scored three runs to take a one-run advantage (9-8) while Clark manufactured three runs to post its final lead of the game (11-9). The Raiders then went up 14-11 on senior Blake Schohs (Lansing, Ia.) two-out three-run double.

Sophomore Daniel Vladimer (Lexington, Mass.) was tagged with his first loss of the season in relief.

Junior Steve DeMartino (East Haven, Conn. had three hits and two RBI for Clark. Lewis and DiMarco each drove in three runs in the game.

Clark will wrap-up its spring week against Northland College of Wisconsin on Friday.