Rossi Tosses No-Hitter for Cyclones
(3/18/08) Senior right-hander Mike Rossi (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) was dominant hurling a complete game seven-inning no-hitter as Centenary College (4-6) defeated Mount Aloysius College 15-0 and 8-6 in a double-header at the RussMatt Tournament in Tampa, Florida.
Rossi (1-1) struck out eight and walked a pair of Mounties over seven innings allowing only one ball out of the infield on the day. Centenary gave Rossi the lead for good in the third inning as the Cyclones led off with back-to-back doubles by freshmen Jose Cordova and Lou Penna. Penna later scored on a two-out single by Zach Reynolds to give the Cyclones a 3-0 lead. Centenary put the game away in the fourth as the scored nine runs on eight hits to take a 12-0 lead, Rossi did the rest from there striking out five of the last nine batters he faced.
In game two, Mark Demaio roped a two-out single to center to break a 6-6 tie in the fifth inning to give the Cyclones the lead. From there, freshmen right-hander Tom Sirois pitched two-innings of one-hit relief to earn his first career save. Centenary pounded out a total of 27 hits on the day.
Rossi’s no-hitter was the second in the programs seven year history.
Baseball Falls 7-1 to #10 Kean
(3/12/08) Cyclone Baseball dropped their second straight decision of the season, 7-1, to #10 Kean University on Tuesday afternoon.
All of the game’s scoring came in two innings as Centenary got on the board first as they plated a single run in the top of the third. Junior Jayson Loder (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) led off the inning with a walk and after consecutive groundouts moved his way around to third before scoring on a passed ball.
The host Cougars did not take long to respond as two innings later in the fifth, Kean broke the game wide open as they dropped down three consecutive bunts with the bases-loaded to drive in three.
Centenary was held to just four hits in the game, as Mike Fasano (Hawthorne/St. Joseph’s Regional), Andrew Granozio (Liverpol, NY/Liverpool), Zach Reynolds (Yortktown, NY/Yorktown) and Loder each recorded one. Junior Andrew Koncen took the loss for the Cyclones, who travel to Tampa, Fl this coming week for their Spring trip. Boxscore
Cyclones Drop Opener 12-3
(3/4/08) The Cyclone Baseball team opened their spring schedule yesterday afternoon on the road at Richard Stockton College. Unfortunately for the squad the result did not go in their favor, as the host Ospreys downed Centenary 12-3 in a non-conference match-up.
Stockton opened the scoring early as they loaded the bases in the second inning. The Ospreys scored five runs on four RBI singles and a hit batsman for an early 5-0 lead. The third frame brought more of the same for the home team as posted three more runs in the inning, putting themselves on top 8-0.
Centenary broke the shutout with three unearned runs in the top of the eighth inning before the game was stopped due to darkness after the half-inning.
With the loss Centenary opens the season at 0-1, while Stockton improved to 3-0. The Cyclones will take to the road again this weekend, as they travel south for back-to-back doubleheaders with Frostburg State on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
2008 Season Preview
- Photo by Kent Manno
After a four year run of success in the Skyline Athletic Conference, which saw the Cyclones earn two conference titles and two NCAA tournament appearances in four years, they now begin the 2008 season as a member of the PAC (Pennsylvania Athletic Conference). Each year brings new challenges and the Cyclones are ready to avenge a disappointing 2007 campaign that saw them depart the conference tournament earlier than expected.
The 2008 Cyclones will combine a core of key veterans along with many newcomers who will be counted to make an immediate impact. Leading the way on offense will be Michael Fasano, the All-Region outfielder was among the team leaders in nearly every offensive category last season as a freshman. Fasano will be joined in the middle of the line-up by senior Jared Grant who led the team with a .375 batting average. Andrew Materia is expected to take over at first base, while Mark Cerrachio, Mark De Maio and William Geltzeiler will all be expected to improve off of their successful 2007 seasons. The defense will be lead by junior second baseman Jayson Loder, who committed just seven errors in 168 chances last season. Loder will be paired with Zach Reynolds and sophomore Sal Prestigiacomo, and behind the plate will see senior Jared Grant and freshman Mike McGuckin.
Veteran pitching is essential to any successful team and the Cyclones are lucky to return the entire core of their pitching staff for the upcoming season. Two time All-Region pitcher Chris Mattson and junior Andrew Koncen will once again lead the staff in 2008. Behind them will be senior Mike Rossi who will look to bounce back from an injury plagued 2007 campaign and Matt Devenny, who finished last season 4-0 in 40 innings as a freshman. Other pitchers expected to see quality innings on the mound this year will be junior Ben Jurgensen and Keith Moran along with the freshman trio of Tom Sirois, Ryan Gorny and Michael Oneglia.
The 2008 season will be filled with excitement and new challenges for the Cyclones and our fans.
Defending-Champion Griffins selected as Pre-Season Baseball Favorite by PAC Coaches
February 14, 2008
Aston, PA – Gwynedd-Mercy College’s baseball team has been selected as the pre-season favorite in the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) coaches’ poll. The three-time conference champion Griffins received four of seven first-place votes, and a total of 46 points to finish ahead of last year’s favorite, Alvernia College.
“Our program has a great deal of respect for the other teams in this conference,” said Gwynedd-Mercy head coach, Paul Murphy. “We are honored to be selected as the pre-season favorite this coming year, and we hope that we can live up to the expectations placed on us by the PAC Coaches poll.”
Alvernia College, the 2007 pre-season favorite, received 39 points, including three first-place votes, to finish in second place in the poll. Centenary earned a third place ranking with 29 points.
Marywood University (22), Misericorida University (18), Eastern University (17), and Neumann College (14) rounded out the voting.
The 2008 PAC Championship begins on Friday, May 2nd at Bear Stadium in Boyertown, Pennsylvania.