(5/2/08)  In the nightcap of Day #2 at the PAC (Pennsylvania Athletic Conference) Baseball Tournament, the Centenary Cyclones again saved off elimination with a huge offensive game versus Alvernia College.  Following their 14-4 victory, where they pounded out 16 hits, #3 seed Centenary now moves into Sunday’s Championship Round versus the #2 seed Gwynedd Mercy College.  The day’s first game will start at 1pm, with a second game pending on the outcome of the first.

The Cyclones opened the game as they did earlier with runners on base, threatening to strike first.  Alvernia’s Steve Geisel however settled in to pitch out of the inning, and Centenary went scoreless.  After Centenary went three up – three down in the second, the home Crusaders opened the scoring.  AC used a lead off double by James Geosits, a sac fly by Chris Stoudt, an RBI single by Tim Carroll, and an unearned run to take a 3-0 lead.  In the top of the third inning, Centenary not only got back in the game, they blew it open.  The Cyclones sent 15 batters to the plate in a frame that saw the visitor’s bang out 10 hits, three for extra bases, and score ten times.  Mark DeMaio (Morris Plains/Parsippany Hills), Andrew Granozio (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), and Jared Grant (Flanders, NJ) all had two hits in the inning.  Granozio, Grant, and Andrew Materia (Jackson/Jackson Memorial) all added two RBI’s each.  The first seven runs were enough to chase Geisel from the mound, in favor of Peter Fernandez.

After the rest, Centenary’s starter Chris Mattson (West Deptford/West Deptford) went to work retiring Alvernia in order in the third.  The Crusaders were able to scratch another run in the fourth on a leadoff double by Stoudt, who advanced to third on a flyout.  He then scored on a drag bunt single by Tim Ahlquist which trimmed the deficit to 10-4.  Centenary however was not finished scoring runs.  In the top of the fifth, DeMaio again set the table with his third hit of the game.  Bill Geltzeiler (Rumson/Rumson-Fairhaven) followed with a bunt single.  Both runners came around two batters later when Grant belted a three-run homer over the right center field fence pushing the Cyclones in front 13-4.  The visitor’s would tack one more for good measure in the seventh, when Grant would drive in his six run of the contest, an RBI double scoring DeMaio.

For the Cyclones Mattson went the distance, allowing just four runs on 12 hits, striking out eight while walking no one.  The victory improves him to 4-4 on the year.  At the plate Jared Grant provided the highlights going 4-for-5 with six RBI’s, two runs scored, and his fourth homer of the season.  Mark DeMaio added three hits, four runs, and an RBI.  Teammates Geltzeiler, Granozio, and Jayson Loder chipped in with two hits a piece.  For the Crusaders in the loss Tim Carroll went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI’s, while Tim Alhquist and Steve DeBarberie each added two hits each.

Boxscore

(5/3/08)  In the first game of Day #2 at the PAC (Pennsylvania Athletic Conference) Baseball Tournament, the Centenary Cyclones advanced to this evenings Loser Bracket final with a 6-2 victory over Misericordia University.  Centenary will now await the loser of Alvernia and Gwynedd Mercy which is being played at 3pm.

Just as they did in yesterday’s opening round game, the Cyclones struck first.  Following a top of the first in which Centenary starter Mike Rossi (Old Bridge/Old Bridge) stranded two Misericordia runners, leadoff hitter Mark DeMaio (Morris Plains/Parsippany Hills) opened the bottom with a walk.  DeMaio shortly stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error.  After a line out to second, DeMaio scampered home on a wild pitch putting the Cyclones in front 1-0.   The Cougars again threatened in the second, as they used a pair of singles and walk to load the bases with two outs.  Rossi again dashed their hopes forcing a groundout to end the inning.  The game remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fourth, when Mark Cerrachio (Brick/Brick Memorial) started off with a double.  Two batters later, Andrew Materia (Jackson/Jackson Memorial) exchanged places with Cerrachio at second after an RBI double, extending the advantage to 2-0.  The Cyclones notched a third run in the fifth after, Bill Geltzeiler (Rumson/Rumson-Fairhaven) opened the frame with a triple.  Two batters later Andrew Granozio (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) chased him home with a sacrifice fly.

In the sixth it was Misericordia’s turn to put some numbers on the board.  The Cougars opened the inning with a hit batter.  They then put another runner on when Rossi allowed a one-out walk.  Following a great driving catch in right field by Granozio, the Cougars looked as if their rally may end.  Unfortunately for the Cyclones that was not the case.  After a pitching change which brought in the Cyclone Ben Jurgensen (West Milford/West Milford), MU’s Mike D’Amara cleared the bases with a double, pulling the visitor’s to within a run.   After going quietly in the sixth, Centenary opened the game up in the seventh with three more runs, compliments of a RBI double by Jared Grant (Flanders, NJ) and a two run-homer off the bat of Michael Fasano (Hawthorne/St. Joseph’s Academy).  The 6-2 lead was all that Jurgensen would need to close out the game and record his first save of the season.

For the Cyclones Mike Rossi notched the win, improving himself to 3-2 on the season.  At the plate Fasano led the way with three hits, including the homer, two RBI’s, and run scored.  Materia added three hits of his own, all three of them being doubles and driving in one.  For the Cougars in the loss, Brandon Calafut and Jamie Phillipi each recorded two hits, while D’Amara had both runs batted in. 

Boxscore

(5/2/08)  This afternoon the #3 seeded Cyclone Baseball team fell into the loser’s bracket of the 2008 PAC (Pennsylvania Athletic Conference) Championship Tournament, after falling to #2 Gwynedd Mercy by the final of 6-1.  With the loss Centenary will now take on the loser of tonight’s game between Alvernia/Misericordia, tomorrow morning at 11:00am.  The Griffins however move on and await the winner of tonight’s match-up into tomorrow’s winner bracket final at 3:00 pm.

The Cyclones scratched through for the game’s first run in the top of the second.  After the first two batters were retired, freshman Zach Reynolds (Yorktown, NY/Yorktown) singled.  Jared Grant (Flanders, NJ) quickly followed with a second single.  Senior Bill Geltzeiler (Rumson/Rumson-Fairhaven) then delivered the big two-out hit driving in Reynolds, and Centenary took the 1-0 lead.  After going quietly in the first two innings, the Griffins struck in the third.  Dave Deodato and Mark Mattes opened the frame with a single and a double, putting runners on second and third.  Gwynedd Mercy would tie the game on a Dan Strack groundout, followed by a Tim McMenamin groundout which gave them the 2-1 lead.  The Cyclones looked to come right back in the fourth as Andrew Materia (Jackson/Jackson Memorial) lead off with his first hit of the game.  Grant delivered his second knock one out later, which was followed by a two-out walk to Mark DeMaio (Morris Plains/Parsippany Hills).  Unfortunately the Cyclones stranded all three runners, which would ultimately turn out to be the Cyclones downfall all afternoon.

In the bottom of the inning GMC tacked on a third run when Mike Albert connected on his first home run of the season.  With Centenary unable to answer in the fifth, the Griffins again added a run in the bottom half on a groundout RBI by Strack, pushing the lead to 4-1.  Gwynedd Mercy would then add on two more runs with their second homerun of the game in the bottom of the seventh inning, off the bat of Tim McMenamin.  GMC hurler Andrew Ball settled in over the next few innings retiring nine straight Cyclones from the fifth into the eighth.

Centenary’s late inning chances came in the ninth when Jared Grant singled for his third hit of the day, but the rally was short lived as GMC followed the base hit with their only double-play of the afternoon and finished off the victory with a strikeout to end the game.

Centenary’s Grant led the offense with three hits, while pitcher Andrew Koncen (Elizabeth/Union Catholic) took the loss dropping him to 4-4 on the season.  For GMC Andrew Ball improves to a perfect 5-0 and teammates Mike Albert and Dave Deodato each chipped in with a pair of hits, while McMenamin drove in three. 

Boxscore

(4/22/08)  The Centenary baseball team used a five-run sixth inning to extend its winnig streak to three earlier today, as they downed Mount Saint Vincent 8-4 in a non-conference match-up. 

After opening the game with single runs in both of the first two innings, the Cyclones found themselves trailing 4-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth.  As they have some moany times this season, Centenary used another big inning to take control of the game and eventually record the victory.  In the sixth, the first pair of Cyclone batters reached base.  Following a flyout, Bill Geltzeiler (Rumson/Rumson-Fairhaven) walked to load the bases.  Sophomore Mark DeMaio (Morris Plains/Parsippany Hills) then delivered a cluth RBI single which was followed by a sacrifice fly from Jayson Loder (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) tying the game at 4-4.  On the same play, Centenary was able to force another run across, when a miss-thrown ball by the visiting Dolphins got by their first basemen allowed Geltzeiler to score.  Centenary added their fourth and fifth runs of the inning when Michael Fasano (Hawthorne/St. Joseph's Academy) tripled, driving in DeMaio and Andrew Materia (Jackson/Jackson Memorial) who walked ahead of him, extending the lead to 7-4.  The hosts would tack on an eighth run in the eighth, as a mis-played fly ball off the bat of Fasano chased home Sal Prestigiacomo (Staten Island, NY/Curtis) who had walked as a pinch hitter.
 
Centenary's DeMaio paced the victors with three hits, two runs scored, and two RBI's.  Fasano added a triple and a pair of RBI's, while freshman Chris Stacy (Little Falls/Passaic Valley) came out of the bullpen to notched his first win of the season.  For Mount Saint Vincent, the Dolphins were led by Logan Mauzy and Joe Blackford.  Mauzy collected two hits, scored two runs and drove one, while Blackford added a pair of hits and scored once.  James Labartino also chipped in with a pair singles in the loss.

With the victory the Cyclones improve to 15-16 on the year, while the visiting Dolphins drop to 16-13. 

Boxscore

(4/19/08)   On Saturday afternoon the Centenary Baseball team took the final pair of games they had versus Misericordia University.  The win improves Centenary to 14-16 overall, 7-8 in the PAC, while the loss drops the Cougars to 11-20, 6-7 in conference.

In game one Centenary used a three run third inning, highlighted by a two-RBI single from Mark DeMaio (Morris Plains, NJ/Parsippany Hills) to jump in front.  Two innings later the Cyclone would tack on two more when Lou Penna (East Haven, CT/Notre Dame) and DeMaio tagged back-to-back triples to open the inning, and Jayson Loder (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) added a sac fly.  Andrew Koncen (Elizabeth, NJ/Union Catholic) went the distance for Centenary, scattering eight hits, striking out six, and recording his third victory of the season.

In game two the visiting Cougars got on the the board first scoring a run in the top of the first.  Lead-off man Michael Murphy opened the game with a single and would later score on an RBI single by Mike D'Amara to give Misericordia the early 1-0 lead.  Centenary would answer with a pair of their own in the third when Loder tripled home DeMaio, who lead off with a single.  Loder would then score himself on an Andrew Materia (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Memorial) sacm fly.  In the fourth MU's Brian Matthews lead off with a walk and would come around to score three batters later on a Centenary fielding error.  The games biggest hit came in the Centenary half of the fourth.  Jayson Loder, already 2-for-4 with three RBI's on the day, came up with the bases full of Cyclones.  Loder added to his tremendous afternoon as he took a pitch over the left field wall for the first grand slam home-run of his career, in turn giving Centenary a comfortable 6-2 lead.  After giving Centenary another insurance run in the fifth, the Cougars rallied for two in the top of the sixth, as they strung together five consecutive hits to start the inning.  The RBI's coming off a single from D'Amara and a single from Nate Newman.  The Cyclones tallied two unearned runs in their half of the sixth, to extend their lead to the eventual final score of 9-4.  Senior Chris Mattson (West Deptford, NJ/West Deptford) came on in relief of Mike Rossi to notch the victory.  Mattson improves to 3-4, while going four innings, striking out five, and allowing two runs on six hits.

Game 1 Boxscore

Game 2 Boxscore

(4/15/08)  Earlier today the Centenary Baseball collected their 11th victory overall and 5th in the PAC Conference, in come from behind fashion.  The Cyclones who have won six of their last eight games, have now moved into a possible fifth place tie in the conference standings heading into the final two weeks of the season. 

The visiting Eagles seemed to have things in control after putting up five runs through the opening three innings.  The first three coming in the top of the second as Eastern’s top hitter Davis Murray opened the frame with a double.  Murray would come around to score the first run on a Centenary fielding error.  Later in the inning Ryan Polk knocked in the visitor’s second run with an RBI single, which would be followed four batters later with a third scoring play as Kurt Kebaugh forced in a run when he was hit by a pitch.  The next inning Eastern was back at it scoring two more times, when Polk drove in his second and third runs of the game with a bases clearing double.  The score remained 5-0 all the way til the bottom of the sixth, when Centenary pushed across their first run.  Michael Fasano (Hawthorne/St. Joseph’s Academy) led of the inning with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch.  Following two consecutive outs, Zach Reynolds (Yorktown, NY/Yorktown) delivered an RBI single plating Fasano.  An inning later the comeback began as the Cyclone bats came alive.  After retiring the lead off batter, Eastern hurler Andrew Reynolds allowed the next six Cyclone batters he faced to reach which resulted in five runs giving the hosts a 6-5 lead.  The biggest of those hits came off the bat of Zach Reynolds who again came through with a two out hit, this time a double driving in a pair of runs, the second giving the Cyclones the lead at 6-5.  Centenary would tack on an insurance run when the following batter Mike McGuckin (Bayonne/Bayonne) drove in the sixth run of the inning.  Centenary senior Chris Mattson (West Deptford/West Deptford) came on in the eighth and threw a perfect two innings collecting his second save of the year, while notching victory number one for freshman Jason Wetzel (Rockaway/Morris Knolls) who had come on for three outs in the seventh.

Centenary’s Reynolds and Andrew Granozio (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) combined for five hits, five RBI’s, and two runs scored.  Fasano added a pair of hits and runs scored, while Bill Geltzeiler (Rumson/Rumson-Fairhaven) collected two hits.  In the loss for Eastern’s Ryan Polk led the way with two hits, a runs scored, and three RBI’s.  Pitcher Andrew Reynolds falls to 0-2 on the year despite going 6 2/3 innings and striking out seven batters.    

Boxscore