04/11/2009
Baseball Falls to Springfield, 5-1; Second Game Postponed

Springfield, Mass. -- April 11, 2009 -- Jaime Mackie and John Schmaltz hit home runs to lead the Springfield College baseball team to a 5-1 victory over Clark University in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference game this afternoon at SC's Berry-Allen Field. The second game of the scheduled doubleheader was completely rained out, and will be made up on Sunday, April 19 at 12 noon at Berry-Allen Field.

With the win, Springfield is now 6-18 overall, and 3-5 in the NEWMAC. Clark is now 10-17 overall, 2-6 in league action.

For Springfield, senior righthander Travis Turgeon (Norwich, Conn.) hurled his best game of the season, raising his record to 2-0. He allowed four hits and no earned runs, while striking out one and walking one in six full innings. Sophomore Brian Harris (East Hartford, Conn.) finished up in the seventh, allowing one base runner on a single. Harris struck out one.

For Clark, senior Matthew Tillo (Osterville, Mass.) pitched the first five innings for the Cougars, falling to 0-4. The righthander gave up four runs on six hits. He struck out one and walked two.

The game was marked by stellar defensive play in the outfield on both sides. For Clark, sophomore LF Scott Hollingsworth (Tilton, N.H.) made three outstanding catches, including a spectacular full stretched out diving grab in the third inning off the bat of sophomore 3B Mario Piscitelli (Greenlawn, N.Y.) that saved two runs. For Springfield, senior CF Drew Michael (Longmeadow, Mass.) made a diving catch of his own in the left-center field gap in the sixth inning off the bat of Clark junior RF Phillip DiMarco (Bellingham, Mass.).

In the first inning with one out, sophomore LF John Schmaltz (Cromwell, Conn.) laced a single to right. Schmaltz would go 3-for-4 on the day. That was followed up by a towering home run to left by senior SS Jamie Mackie (Springfield, Mass./Central HS). It was Mackie's second collegiate home run, first of the season. That gave SC at 2-0 lead.

The Pride added one in the third. Junior RF Joe Kropa (Cranford, N.J.) walked with one out. Schmaltz then singled him to second. Kropa went to third on a deep fly ball out to right by Mackie, and then scored on an error.

Clark then scored its lone run in the fourth. With one out, Hollingsworth doubled to left center field. The next batter, freshman 3B Mitchell DeLorenzo (Berlin, Conn.) singled to straightaway center field. Hollingsworth was attempting to score when he tripped on the basepaths about 10 feet beyond the third base bag. But as Hollingsworth was scrambling back to the bag, the SC catcher threw the ball into left field. Hollingsworth easily scored, and DeLorenzo made it all the way to third. With the score 3-1, one out, and Clark threatening to add another, Turgeon then induced two ground ball outs to escape that jam.

In the fifth inning, Schmaltz led off with a line smash home run to right field, his second home run of the season. That made it 4-1.

Sophomore righthander Robert Lopez (Copake, N.Y.) took over for Tillo in the sixth. With two outs, Kropa then knocked in SC's fifth and final run with a base hit.

Courtesy of Springfield College Sports Information