THE BASICS:
- Score: Assumption 7, Mansfield 1 (Game one); Mansfield 6, Assumption 5 (Game two)
- Records: Assumption (1-1, 0-0 NE10); Mansfield (1-1, 0-0 PSAC)
- Location: Cary, N.C. (USA Baseball Complex)
- The Lead: The Assumption College baseball team opened its 2018 season with a split in Cary, North Carolina, as the Hounds claimed the opener 7-1, before falling 6-5 in the nightcap.
HOW IT HAPPENED: GAME ONE
- Senior Mike Curtis (Wilmington, Mass. / Wilmington) started the game for Assumption on the mound and turned in a complete game effort, tossing 7.0 innings and striking out six batters while allowing just one run.
- Curtis ran into trouble in the bottom of the first inning, as the first three batters of the inning reached base, culminating in just one run to put the Hounds down 1-0. The senior settled down and recorded the next three outs to get out of the jam
- The Hounds struck back in the top of the second, when junior Hunter Tralli (Berlin, Conn. / Northwest Catholic) drew a one out walk. Sophomore R.J. Libby (Middleton, Mass. / Bishop Fenwick) then doubled down the right field line to put runners on second and third, before junior Kevin Quinlivan (Shrewsbury, Mass. / St. John's) launched a three-run homerun over the right field wall giving Assumption a 3-1 lead.
- Quinlivan extended the lead in the top of the sixth, sending his second homerun of the game, a solo shot, over the right field wall to push the lead to 4-1. After sophomore Jared Brescia (Brentwood, N.H. / Exeter) doubled, senior Quinn Moynihan (Worcester, Mass. / Lipscomb University) recorded his first RBI in a Hound uniform with a single up the middle, making the score 5-1.
- With Curtis still dealing on the mound, Libby walked followed by freshman Dillon Koster (Woburn, Mass. / Woburn / Marist College) reaching on an error. Quinlivan's bat remained hot, as he roped a single to right field plating two more runners to up his RBI tally on the day to six, and the Assumption lead to 7-1.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Quinlivan led the Hounds at the plate, finishing 3-for-4 with two homeruns and six RBI. Libby also recorded a multi-hit day, finishing 2-for-3 with two runs and a double.
- Koster went 1-for-4 with a double and a run, while Brescia registered a 1-for-3 day at the plate with a double and run scored.
HOW IT HAPPENED: GAME TWO
- Senior Kyle Chudoba (Oxford, Conn. / Oxford) started the second game of the double header, pitching 5.1 innings, surrendering four runs (three earned) while striking out six batters and walking three.
- Assumption started game two where they left off, as Moynihan beat out an infield hit before senior Andrew Jaehnig (Quincy, Mass. / Boston College) lined a single through the left side of the infield. Senior Jake Byrne (Grafton, Mass. / Saint John's) then reached base on a fielder's choice and advanced on an error, before Tralli knocked in the game's first run.
- Mansfield responded with three unanswered runs, scoring two in the first and another in the fourth, taking a 3-1 lead. The Hounds rallied in the fifth to tie the game, when sophomore Derek Adamson (Chelmsford, Mass. / Chelmsford) knocked in Brescia, followed Mansfield intentionally walked Jaehnig to load the bases. Byrne stepped up to the plate and punished the Mountaineers, driving in Moynihan to tie the game at three runs apiece.
- In the bottom of the sixth, Mansfield loaded the bases with one out and subsequently cleared the bags on a triple to right center field, taking a 6-3 lead.
- The Hounds rallied in the seventh when Adamson singled and Jaehnig moved him over to third with a one out double. Byrne then hit a sacrifice fly and Tralli hit a RBI pop fly that found room in left field to make the score 6-5. The Hounds couldn't drive in the final run, ending the game with a Mansfield win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- The top three hitters in the order for Assumption combined to go 6-for-10, as Moynihan, Adamson and Jaehnig each recorded two hits apiece.
- Tralli went 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Byrne also drove in two runs.
UP NEXT:
- The Hounds return to action tomorrow when they take on Mansfield for a doubleheader starting at 10:00 a.m.
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