David Otero
LIU Post’s Baseball Team has won three consecutive games and currently has a record of 19-14. The Pioneers defeated Dowling College 4-3 on Friday, April 13th, and took both games of the doubleheader the following day on the road against the University of Bridgeport, with scores of 2-1 and 3-1.
In the win against Dowling (21-13), the Pioneers got some revenge after having lost to the Golden Lions three days earlier by a score of 5-3. The Golden Lions took the early lead, as they tacked on a run in both the second and third innings. However, the Pioneers answered back with three runs in the bottom half of the sixth inning. Junior third baseman Kevin Chenicek drove in the first Pioneers run with an RBI single, knocking in sophomore right fielder Vincent Iacono. Junior catcher Anthony Corona followed Chenicek with a sacrifice fly, tying the game at two. The Pioneers weren’t finished yet, as freshman designated hitter Anthony Brunetti gave LIU Post a 3-2 lead with an RBI single.
Pioneers’ junior pitcher Rafael Martinez kept the Pioneers in the game with a strong six innings of work, allowing two runs (one earned) on nine hits. But in the seventh inning, sophomore pitcher Brandon Kruel gave up a run to the Golden Lions and made it a tie game at three. The game remained tied until the bottom of the ninth, when Chenicek came to bat for the Pioneers,and once again drove in Iacono on a single for the walk-off win. Sophomore pitcher Connor McCarthy recorded his first win of the season for the Pioneers.
In both games against the Bridgeport Purple Knights (8-14), the pitching of the Pioneers stepped up. In the opening game of the doubleheader, senior pitcher James Stone and junior pitcher Anthony Zapulla held the Purple Knights to only one run on four hits. The Pioneers had a difficult time stringing together good at-bats but found a way to scratch out a run in the fifth inning when junior second baseman Angel Pimentel had a sacrifice fly. The other Pioneers’ run came via an error in the seventh inning.
The second contest against Bridgeport was similar to the first, as the Pioneers’ pitching once again was dominant. LIU won 3-1. Junior pitcher Bo Budkevics threw a complete game, striking out three batters and allowing one run. The Pioneers had runs driven in by Brunetti, Chenicek, and junior shortstop Keith Herring.
The Pioneers’ next game is on Thursday, April 19th, at 3:00 p.m. at Concordia College (8-28).
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