ROME, Ga. - The Eckerd baseball team opened the 2018 season with strong pitching performances in splitting a double-header at Shorter (Ga.) on Saturday.
After dropping the opener, 4-3, the Tritons got a combined two-hitter from
Nick Alonzo and
Jack Iervolino to take the second game, 4-0.
Alonzo went six innings, giving up only two hits while striking out six, before giving way to Iervolino in the seventh. Â The freshman ran into some trouble after walking the bases loaded with one out, but struck out pinch hitter Luis Acevedo before coaxing a ground ball from Raul Cortes to complete the combined shutout.
Justin Glover had a big day at the plate in the second game going 2-for-3 with a double and a solo home run, which gave Eckerd a 2-0 lead. Â The Tritons doubled their margin in the seventh by manufacturing a pair of runs.
A two-run sixth inning for the Hawks gave them a 4-3 lead in the opener, which proved to be enough as Banks Woodley and Peyton Moore stranded four Tritons on base in the final three innings.
HOW IT ENDED
Game 1: Shorter 4, Eckerd 3
WP: Woodley (1-0) Â
LP: Martin (0-1) Â
Sv: Moore (1)
Game 2: Eckerd 4, Shorter 0 (7 innings)
Records: Eckerd 1-1, Shorter 1-1
WP: Alonzo (1-0) Â
LP: Ramos (0-1)
HR: Glover (1)
KEY MOMENTS
- Mitch Calandra's single in the top of the third plated the first run of the year for Eckerd. Â Keith Leavitt, Jr. drove in Garrett Hiott with a double in the fourth, and Chase Achuff scored on a passed ball in the fifth to give EC a 3-1 lead.
- The Hawks, however, took advantage of Eckerd errors in the fifth and sixth innings to go ahead by what turned out to be the final margin in the opener.
- Eckerd again scored first in the top of the third in the second game on an Achuff sacrifice fly. Â Glover's solo blast in the top of the fifth made it 2-0.
- The Tritons scored twice in the seventh without the benefit of a base hit. Â Three walks loaded the bases before Nick Conti drew another walk to bring in Bryan Torres. Â Two batters later, Hiott was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Dillon McCollough received a no-decision in the opener, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out seven. Â Eckerd pitchers combined for a total of eight strikeouts in each game.
- Conti, who put together a streak of reaching base safely in 35 straight games last year, reached base in both games to extend his current streak to 15 dating back to last season.
- Alonzo's win was his first since March 1, 2016, and his first as a starting pitcher.
UP NEXT
The Tritons wrap up the three-game series on Sunday with a single game beginning at 12:00 PM.