By Joseph Caruso
Staff Writer
The College headed down to Auburndale, Florida over spring break to participate in the RussMatt Invitational, a tournament the Lions finished 6-3 in last year.
With most players returning, and veteran manager Dean Glus back, the Lions had a similar group from last year's New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship squad. These were the season's first games for the College, and they started red hot.
Their first foe was Concordia University Chicago. There seemed to be no rust for the College, who had a blistering bottom of the first inning, scoring eight runs. Junior Justin Marcario and senior Jack Haynes each had a pair of runs batted in that inning, and fifth-year Chris Reeder added two more runs with a single in the third, giving the team a commanding double-digit lead. Haynes would go on to have a near-perfect day, reaching base all four times and collecting three hits.
Junior Jackson Malouf had a stellar season debut, tossing seven innings of one-run ball in his first quality start. Malouf is looking to build off of a very promising sophomore season where he finished with an earned run average under four and took home a gold glove award for his defense. Junior Matt Santos closed out the remaining two innings as the Lions conquered the Cougars 10-1.
After a dominating win, the Lions took on the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. The Bobcats were just 1-5 before this matchup. The game was scoreless early, but the College scored two unearned runs in the fourth. The Lions added another run on a sacrifice fly from senior Ryan Goodall in the fifth and added two more runs in the eighth.
The story of this game, similarly to the previous one, was the starting pitching. Junior Dan Merkel logged seven innings, allowed zero runs and struck out ten Bobcat hitters to earn the second quality start for Lion pitchers. Junior reliever Mike Silver came out of the bullpen to close with two no-hit innings, giving the team their second win in a row, this time in shutout fashion, 5-0.
Southern Maine was next up for the College, and just like the Bobcats, they were 1-5 to start their season. Unlike the Bobcats, the Huskies gave the Lions some trouble. They got out to an early 2-0 lead, marking the first time the College had trailed this season.
The Lions’ offense woke up later in the game, exploding for eleven runs in the seventh and the eighth innings. Senior Michael Schumacher had an amazing day, finishing with four hits and two RBIs that catapulted the team back in front. Goodall added three RBIs on two hits, and Haynes recorded the 100th hit of his collegiate career.
Fifth-year Ben Amon got through seven innings, but it was not always pretty. He allowed six runs, with four of them earned. Senior Joe Ferreri came in and steadied the ship, closing the game with two no-hit innings and earning the victory, as the Lions avoided the Huskies 11-6.
For the opening game of a split doubleheader, the Lions took on Gwynedd Mercy. They seemed to be a more menacing foe, with a 4-4 record entering the contest. However, they were no match for the Lions, as they scored nine early runs to get out to a commanding lead. All nine starters for the Lions tallied at least one hit, with Reeder accounting for three RBIs by himself and Haynes recording two RBIs.
It was the fourth game in a row where the starting pitcher was able to go seven innings. This time it was senior Jordan Gray, who struck out 11 hitters and got the victory, as the College won 11-3.
In the nightcap of the doubleheader, the Lions faced their toughest test yet, facing No. 7 Wisconsin-La Crosse. The College rekindled their first-inning magic from the first game and stunned the Eagles with four early runs. Their lead did not last long unfortunately, as UWLax got to sophomore John DiCostanzo and scored five runs in the first two innings.
Now trailing by one, the Lions replicated their opening inning by scoring four runs in the fourth, taking the lead. Goodall finished the day with a monstrous performance, collecting six RBIs on three hits. The College padded their lead with five more runs in the final two innings.
Despite the Lions starting pitching struggling early, freshman Jack O’Shea was able to steady the ship and toss three innings of one-run ball in relief. Silver and Ferreri closed out the remaining innings as the Lions upset the Eagles, 15-7.
Now 5-0, the College soared into its next matchup against Minnesota Morris. This was a less thrilling affair than the doubleheader, as the Lions scored double-digit runs yet again.
Freshman Evan Frank got his first start, and despite allowing six baserunners in five innings, he did not give up a run, receiving the win. Junior Jack Marchese went the remaining four innings, recording the team's first save of the year as the Lions earned their sixth win, 10-1.
Two of the three remaining games were in a seven-inning doubleheader against Muhlenberg. The Mules were no match for the Lions in these meetings.
In the opening game, the Lions’ offense scored 11 runs. They were led by Marcario, who recorded a hit in all four of his plate appearances and notched the 100th of his career.
After a less-than-ideal first inning, Malouf settled in and pitched the rest of the game, striking out 12. He did not give up a run for the rest of the game, getting his second victory as the College won 11-3.
The nightcap of the doubleheader was utter domination. The College scored nine runs in the first three innings, thanks to junior Zach Weiner, who recorded three RBIs in an offensive explosion. Nine different Lions crossed the plate, as they ended up scoring 12 runs in this seven-inning affair.
On the mound, it was nearly a flawless day for Merkel, who delivered the performance of the season. He pitched a complete game shutout, striking out 11 while allowing four baserunners, earning a 12-0 victory.
The College’s final game was against Middlebury. This game broke a seven-game streak of the Lions scoring double-digit runs, but the offense showed out nonetheless, scoring seven runs. It was yet another big day for Marcario, who finished the MattRuss Invitational with a .459 batting average.
Amon bounced back, throwing seven innings and allowing two runs while striking out eight. Silver and Ferreri closed the game out with two scoreless innings, giving the College their ninth win of the Invitational, 7-2.
It was an unbelievable showing for the Lions, going 9-0 with multiple impressive wins. Their offense was unstoppable, scoring 10 runs or more in all but two games.
This is the best start for the College since 2006, and they will look to carry this momentum into the rest of the season.
