RUTLAND — As is often the case, early spring baseball can be a difficult time to guarantee whether or not games will actually be played, with the possibility they will be rained or even snowed out. College of St. Joseph was no stranger to that this past weekend, when the baseball team was only able to play two out of their four scheduled games. The good news is that the Fighting Saints put together two of their best performances of this young baseball season against a tough Apprentice Builders ball club. With the two victories this weekend, CSJ baseball moves to 14-8 overall on the year and becomes No. 4 in the 2016 USCAA Baseball Standings. Here is a closer look at the games played over the past week.
March 18
Fighting Saints outlasted The Apprentice School on Friday after four lead changes, squeaking out a 6-3 extra inning win in Newport News, VA. CSJ pulled out the win in big thanks to a strong 10th inning, in which they scored three runs to break the tie and go up 6-3. The Saints went up for good on an RBI double by Chris Doyle off Steven Conley in the top of the 10th inning, scoring Jared Morello. Justin Lemanski was hot from the plate for Fighting Saints. Lemanski went 3-5, drove in one and scored one run. He singled in the second, eighth, and tenth innings. Alan Madsen got the win for Fighting Saints. He allowed one run over two innings. Madsen struck out one, walked none and gave up four hits. Conley couldn’t get it done on the mound for Apprentice, taking a loss. He lasted just 2 1/3 innings, walked one, struck out one, and allowed three runs.
March 19
An RBI single by Nick Rodriguez, scoring Derek Edge gave the Fighting Saints the lead in the sixth inning, and CSJ never looked back, beating Apprentice 7-3 on Saturday morning. Rodriguez reached base three times. He scored one run and had one RBI. He singled in the second and sixth innings. Nestor Velazquez put himself in scoring position with two extra-base hits for the Fighting Saints. He doubled in the fifth and ninth innings. Jovan Henriquez got the win for CSJ and was on top of his game all day long. He pitched 4 2/3 innings and allowed no earned runs and one hit, while striking out four. Henriquez faced his toughest situation when he was inserted into the ball game in the 5th inning but got himself through it masterfully. The Fighting Saints were sparked by Velazquez and Rodriguez, who teamed up for five hits and four RBIs. Kyle Flowers was charged with the loss for the Builders. He lasted just 5 2/3 innings, walked three, struck out none, and allowed five runs.
