GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Dickinson College scored the final three runs to rally past Gettysburg College for a 7-6 decision in Centennial Conference baseball action at Kirchhoff Field Tuesday.
There were only two 1-2-3 innings in the game as Gettysburg (13-12, 2-5 CC) and Dickinson (18-6, 5-2 CC) combined for 24 hits, 11 walks, and three hit batsmen. The two teams also combined for 28 runners left on base.
Gettysburg was the first to strike with an unearned run in the first inning. Freshman
Andrew Decker (Baltimore, Md./Towson) singled with one out and advanced to third on a rocket down the left-field line by junior
Ryan LaCoe (Hershey, Pa./Hershey). Dickinson starter Ben Rappaport, who came into the game with a 0.73 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 24.1 innings, nearly escaped the jam after getting a strikeout, but he muffed a dribbler back to the mound by freshman
Shane Manieri (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle) to allow the game's first run to score.
The Bullets tacked on two more runs in their second trip to the dish on an RBI groundout by Decker and a run-scoring single to third by LaCoe.
Following a quiet third inning, the Red Devils jumped on the board in the fourth inning with three runs off starter
Myles Burbank (Rye, N.Y./Rye). Max Brown, Chris Delsandro, and Ben Carter all posted RBI singles to tie the game with two outs. Brown managed to get home just before Delsandro was thrown out by LaCoe after rounding second base to end the inning.
Gettysburg loaded the bases with one out and scored a run on a groundout by LaCoe to move back in front 4-3 in the fourth. The bags remained loaded following a hit-by-pitch on sophomore
Sean Murphy (Westfield, Mass./Westfield), but Rappaport escaped the jam by getting Manieri to pop up to second base.
The Red Devils once again tied the contest in the top of the fifth on a single by Alex Cohen, but the Bullets came right back with two runs in the home half of the frame. Junior
Ryan Augustus (Freehold, N.J./Princeton Day School) brought in the first run with a sacrifice fly to center field and sophomore
Matt Szczesny (Schwenksville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) plated the second with a single through the left side to make it 6-4.
Gettysburg saw its lead trimmed to 6-5 in the top of the sixth. Szczesny prevented any more damage with a diving stop on a grounder to the left side and a throw to first to get the final out.
Rappaport's day was done after five innings as he gave up six runs (three earned) on 10 hits with three strikeouts. Reigning CC Pitcher of the Week Tommy Koide entered the game in the bottom of the sixth and limited Gettysburg to just four baserunners over the final four frames, with none reaching second base.
Dickinson took the lead in the seventh, tying the game on a double by Brown and then getting the go-ahead run on a wild pitch after an error by the Bullets kept the inning alive. Senior
Sam Dobbins (West Hartford, Conn./Hall) worked out of bases-loaded jams in each of the final two innings to keep the deficit to one.
Junior
Joe Giovinco (Stirling, N.J./Seton Hall Prep) drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the ninth, but the Bullets came up empty with three quick outs.
Szczesny, Decker, and LaCoe went a combined 7-for-15 with four RBI in the top three spots in the batting order with Szczesny pacing the team with three hits. Freshman
Matthew Muir (South Easton, Mass./Oliver Ames) went 2-for-5 with two runs.
Koide improved to 4-0 after surrendering one hit and striking out six over the final four innings. Jacobson went 3-for-6 with an RBI and Browne went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Brian Reilly reached base five times on a single and four walks and scored two runs.
Gettysburg visits Dickinson this Friday at 3:30 p.m.
