Myrtle Beach, SC – Stockton University (8-0) continued what is the best start in school history by sweeping Dean College (MA) (0-6) in a pair of close games, 4-1 and 8-6.
Stockton was opportunistic in the opener, manufacturing four runs on just four hits. One of the safeties was a two-run single by freshman
Brendan Doherty (Middletown/Middletown North) who finished 1-2 with two RBI and a stolen base.
JJ Swentkowski (Egg Harbor Twp./EHT) was 1-3 with a stolen base.
Three Stockton pitchers combined to hold Dean to one run on four hits. Freshman
Sean O'Rourke (Little Egg Harbor/Pinelands) allowed one run on three hits in his college debut.
Gavin Pabst (Manchester/Manchester Twp.) came on in the top of the fifth with the score tied 1-1 and pitched one scoreless inning.
Doherty stroked a two-run single in the bottom of the fifth to give the Ospreys the lead at 3-1 and later scored Stockton's final run in the 4-1 win.
Rico Viani (Monroe Twp./Monroe Twp.) kept Dean off the board in the last two innings to earn a save in support of Pasbt, who collected his first career win.
Stockton rallied from an early 5-1 deficit to win the nightcap 8-6, The Ospreys surged ahead 6-5 with five runs in the top of the third and never relinquished the lead. Doherty went 2-5 with a triple and an RBI.
Joe Pipher (Brick/Brick Memorial),
John Perrino (Wall/Wall) and
Anthony Napoli (Erial/Timber Creek) each contributed two hits and an RBI.
Viani started the third-inning rally with an RBI triple that scored Doherty. Pipher sent Viani home with an RBI double and Perrino plated Pipher with an RBI single to make it 5-4. Two batters later, Swentkowski ripped a two-run double that brought in the tying and go-ahead runs for a 6-5 edge.
Doherty notched an RBI with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning for a 7-5 count. A Dean solo home run in the sixth made it a one-run game at 7-6 but Stockton added an insurance run on an RBI single by Napoli that scored Swentkowski in the top of the seventh for the 8-6 final.
Freshman
Nick Cutola (Lyndhurst/Lyndhurst) earned his first career victory with 1.1 innings pitched out of the bullpen. Cutola did not allow a hit or run while striking out two batters.
Tyler Apt (Williamstown/Williamstown) yielded one run on two hits with two strikeouts in the last two innings to register a save.
Stockton will conclude its five-game stint in Myrtle Beach tomorrow with a single game against Lancaster Bible at 3:30 pm.
