Baseball Snaps Losing Streak

By Christian Arnold
Staff Writer 

The LIU Post Pioneers Baseball team snapped a three-game losing streak with a pair of wins over Stonehill College on Sunday, March 24.

In the first game of a double header, the Pioneers won a 14-inning affair 2-1 and followed it up with a 4-2 victory. LIU Post had dropped games to Adelphi and Bentley University leading up to Sunday.

In the first game against Stonehill, the Pioneers fell behind in the third inning. Stonehill’s Brian Campbell was on third base when Christian Baglini hit a sacrifice fly out to centerfield, allowing Campbell to score. The score remained in favor of Stonehill until the bottom of the ninth when LIU Post tied the game.

Freshman third baseman Brian Tinney reached base on an error and the Pioneers had senior Connor McCarthy come into the game as a pinch runner. McCarthy made it to second base off a wild pitch and a ground out advanced him to third. A passed ball allowed McCarthy to make it to the plate and tie the game at one.

Junior shortstop Rick Alessi won the game for the Pioneers in the bottom of the 14th. Alessi’s single to third base allowed sophomore outfielder John Bellock to score the game-winning run.

Freshman pitcher Dan Jaqiello earned the win throwing five innings and struck out six batters, while allowing no runs or hits. Starter Joey Arena threw nine innings and struck out nine. He also gave up three hits and one run.

In the second matchup of the day it was the Pioneers who jumped to the lead early on.

Stonehill made a comeback attempt in the top of the fourth inning, tying the game at two, but the Pioneers jumped back into the lead in the bottom half of the inning.

Senior third baseman Tom Tolan hit an RBI single to make it 3-2 Pioneers. Tolan drove an insurance run home in the bottom of the sixth to make it 4-2. Junior Pitcher Mike Eckerle earned his third win of the season. He pitched seven innings and struck out 10 batters. Eckerle also allowed four hits and two runs.

Earlier in the week the Pioneers had dropped three straight games starting with Tuesday’s game against Adelphi, which they lost 4-0. LIU Post then fell to Bentley on back to back days; Losing 3-2 to them on Friday and then being shutout for the second time in a week 5-0 on Saturday.

The Pioneers are now 6-5 this season and return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Felecian College.