The baseball team captured its first Ivy League win in a five-game homestand over the weekend, which included a pair of doubleheaders against Penn and Columbia. The Bears won their first game of the weekend 9-0 over the Quakers but lost the second 9-5, and were swept by the Lions 2-0 and 13-4.
In the first home game of the season against Bryant University Thursday, the Bears (3-19, Ivy 1-7) were in contention most of the game but ended up losing 11-4. Bryant started the game off with three runs in the top of the first, but Bruno answered shortly after. Wes Van Boom ’14 hit a two-out double to drive in Will Marcal ’15 and Cody Slaughter ’13, cutting the lead to 3-2.
In the bottom of the second, Daniel Massey ’14 hit a two-run home run, helping the Bears take the lead, 4-3. The squad held this lead until the sixth inning, when the Bulldogs scored a run to tie it up at 4-4. The following inning, Bryant blew the game open with six more runs on five hits. Bryant added another run in the ninth to finish the game 11-4.
On Saturday, Bruno took on the Quakers (18-11, 5-3) in a doubleheader, splitting the series to achieve its first Ivy victory of the season. Starting pitcher Anthony Galan ’14 threw a complete game shutout, allowing only four hits and leading the Bears to a 9-0 win.
“He can throw four pitches for strikes — his slider on Saturday was the best I’ve seen it all year,” said Head Coach Marek Drabinski. “He can pitch in and out, so hitters have to worry about the whole plate.”
The Bears first scored in the third inning, when Marcal hit a two-run jack to drive in J.J. Franco ’14 and helped the team get off to a 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the fifth, Franco hit a solo homer to push the lead to 3-0. Bruno scored six more runs in the sixth, sealing the victory and finishing the game 9-0.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Quakers scored early and led 6-1 after three innings of play.
Bruno responded in the sixth inning, scoring three runs to cut the lead to two. Dan Kerr ’15 and Massey hit back-to-back RBI singles, then Van Boom drove in the third run on a ground out.
The Quakers bounced back with three runs in the seventh, taking command of the game and evened the series. Bruno put another run on the scoreboard in the ninth, but the Quakers held on to their 9-4 lead.
On Sunday, the Bears played the Lions (13-15, 6-2) in a doubleheader, dropping both games. The first game of the day featured a pitching duel, with both starting pitchers stifling any offensive output. Kevin Carlow ’13 allowed only two runs in seven innings, while Columbia’s Tim Giel threw a complete game shutout. Carlow allowed a run in the first and third innings, but he then settled in and allowed only two hits in the final four innings of the game. While the teams earned the same number of hits, Columbia was able to capitalize on key plays and score two runs.
“In close games, you will only get one or two opportunities to score,” Drabinski said. “We didn’t score on these opportunities during the couple of games we lost this weekend.”
The second game of the doubleheader was a tug-of-war, with the teams constantly battling for the lead until the sixth inning. The Lions scored the first run of the game in the first inning, but Bruno quickly responded with two runs in the second. Kerr drove in Massey and Van Boom with a two-run double, giving the Bears a 2-1 lead.
But the Lions responded in the following inning with an RBI triple, evening the score, 2-2. Columbia tacked on another run in the top of the fifth with an RBI double, but Bruno responded in the bottom half of the inning as Marcal drove in John Sheridan ’13 with an RBI double to tie the score, 3-3.
The Lions then scored 10 runs over the following three innings, while the Bears only scored one. Columbia finished the game 13-4, earning the victory with a late offensive surge.
“The bullpen wasn’t as sharp this past week as it has been in the past,” Drabinski said. “But we’ll keep working on it.”
The Bears continue play at home tomorrow against Connecticut at 3:30 p.m. Ivy League play will continue this weekend in Hanover with a pair of doubleheaders against Dartmouth.
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