GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Sophomore Patrick Clementi (King of Prussia, Pa./Devon Prep) threw six solid innings to help Gettysburg College (5-8) earn a 5-3 win in the opening game against Westfield State University (5-3), while senior Andrew Decker (Baltimore, Md./Towson) and sophomore Tristan Neels (San Diego, Calif./Francis W. Parker) combined for seven hits and nine RBI in a 10-8 victory in the nightcap against the Owls.
ng>Junior Kyle Miller (Montclair, N.J./Montclair) recorded the first of Gettysburg's 26 hits on the day with a single to left field to lead off the opening game. Senior Matt Muir (South Easton, Mass./Oliver Ames) followed with a single before an error by the shortstop on the next batted ball allowed Miller to scamper all the way home for the game's first run.
JR McCloskey (Huntington, N.Y./Chaminade) gunned down a would-be base stealer in the second. In the meantime, the offense continued to produce with junior Aaron Kirby (Sandy Hook, Conn./St. Joseph) hitting a run-scoring single through the left side in the third and the Bullets adding two more runs on groundouts for a 4-0 lead after four innings.>
The Owls finally cracked Clementi's code in the fifth inning as Trey Faulkner blasted a home run over the 400-feet sign to straightaway center field in the fifth inning. Muir answered with a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 5-1 heading into the seventh inning.
Clementi retired the side in the sixth, but was lifted in the seventh after the first two runners reached on an error and walk. Junior Mike Giammarino (Basking Ridge, N.J./Gill St. Bernard's) surrendered a sacrifice fly and RBI single to Nick Marshall before ending the frame with a groundout to second base.
Freshman Tyler Lizell (Naples, Fla./Upper Dublin (Pa.)) entered the game with two runners on base in the eighth and promptly shut the door, getting a fielder's choice at home and strikeout to end the inning. After hitting the first batter in the ninth, Lizell induced a double-play ball to Decker at third to wipe away the runner and ended the game with a groundout to third for his first collegiate save.
Clementi picked up his first collegiate victory after pitching six innings and allowing just one earned run on four hits with four strikeouts. Neels was perfect in four trips to the plate, going 2-for-2 with two walks and scoring two runs. Miller went 3-for-5 with a run and Muir finished 2-for-3 with a run and two RBI.
Marshall went 3-for-5 with an RBI and Ethan Day added two hits for Westfield State. Nate Langmeier started and took the loss for the Owls, with Sean Casey tossing 1-2/3 innings of scoreless release.
Game two was a rollercoaster ride with Gettysburg jumping out to a big lead early only to see Westfield State rally in the later innings. The Bullets jumped all over Ryan Robidoux in the first inning with Miller and Muir hitting lead-off singles before the former scored on a single by Decker. After a hit-by-pitch, Neels brought home two more runs on a double to right-center. McCloskey polished off the first-inning offense with a sacrifice fly for a 4-0 lead.<
Decker continued to swing a hot bat with a run-scoring single in the second and a two-run single in the fourth as the Bullets jumped ahead 8-1 after four innings.
Senior Sammy Sestito (Sea Girt, N.J./Saint Rose) was cruising through the first four innings, mixing his fastball with a devastating curve ball to rack up seven strikeouts. With his pitch count adding up, the senior right-hander was pulled with two outs in the fourth inning. The Owls took advantage with five consecutive batters reaching base, including four on extra-base hits. Devin Slattery belted a two-run homer to left field to pull Westfield State within a run at 8-7.
The Bullets tacked on some insurance in the sixth inning. Junior Matthew Peipher (Lititz, Pa./Manheim Township) and Decker led off with singles and advanced bases on a sacrifice by Kirby. Neels brought home both runners with a smash up the middle to push the lead to 10-8.
Junior Brett Leighton (Collegeville, Pa./Pope John Paul II) quieted the Owl bats over 2.2 innings of work, allowing just an unearned run and striking out four. Senior Teo Torrado (New York, N.Y./Polytech Prep Country Day) inherited a two-out bases-loaded jam in the eighth, but got Nolan Florence to pop out to Kirby in foul territory.
Westfield State loaded the bags in the ninth with one out and the heart of its lineup coming up to the dish. Lizell once again entered the fray and picked up a short pop up to right field for the second out. Staring down the big lefty bat of Marshall with two outs and the bases jammed, the first-year reliever induced another routine fly to Miller in center field to close the game.
Leighton earned the victory after an effective relief outing, while Lizell earned his second save in as many chances. The Bullets pounded out 14 hits with Decker going 4-for-5 with three runs and four RBI. Neels went 3-for-5 with five RBI and Miller went 3-for-4 with two runs. Muir turned in another strong outing at the dish by going 2-for-4 with three runs.
Nick Martin finished 3-for-5 with two hits for Westfield State. Max Silverman and Day each posted two hits and two RBI. Robidoux (0-1) took the pitching loss. Luke Matthewson came on late to give Westfield 2-2/3 innings of scoreless relief to aid the comeback attempt.
The weekend series was a homecoming for Owls' head coach Nathan Bashaw. Bashaw was a three-year starter at shortstop and coached alongside current Gettysburg Head Coach John Campo for six seasons before embarking on his own career as a head coach at Elms College (2011-13) and Westfield State (2014-22). It was his first trip back to the friendly confines since his final year as an assistant coach in 2010.