Auburndale, Fla. – Stockton University (8-7) had a strong finish to its spring break trip to Florida as the Ospreys edged Cornell College (Iowa) (8-4) 7-6 and then topped Wisconsin-Superior (5-7) 14-12. The victories extended Stockton's winning streak to four games.
Against Cornell College,
Jordan Nitti (Hamilton/Steinert) went 3-5 with three runs and
Max Kaplan (Wall/Wall) was 3-3 with a double and a run.
Nick Avagnano (Paramus/Paramus) and
Evan Bresnen (Allentown/Steinert) rapped two hits apiece.
Stockton trailed 4-1 before surging ahead with four runs in the eighth inning. After Nitti and Avagnano scored on wild pitches,
Tim Mastrogiovanni (Perkasie, Pa./Penncrest) walked with the bases loaded. Bresnen was hit by a pitch with the bases full to put the Ospreys on top 5-4.
Mastrogiovanni came through with a clutch two-run single in the ninth frame to make it 7-4. Cornell scored twice in the bottom of the ninth and had the tying run on second base when
Reece Miller (Toms River/TR East) came out of the bullpen to induce the final out and earn a save in the 7-6 win.
Against Wisconsin-Superior, Kaplan went 3-5 with a home run, two runs and two RBI while Nitti was 3-5 with a home run and two RBI. Bresnen contributed two hits, a run and an RBI. Freshman Conner Praschil (Emerson/Emerson) went 2-3 with two runs and an RBI in his first college start.
Stockton scored seven runs in the second inning, highlighted by RBI singles from Bresnen, Praschil and
Tony Gatti (Howell/Howell). Nitti and
Austin Beard (Toms River/TR South) stroked RBI singles during a three-run fourth frame that increased the advantage to 10-0.
The lead was 12-2 after back-to-back homers by Avagnano and Kaplan in the sixth inning. After Wisconsin-Superior scored twice, a solo homer by Nitti in the seventh inning made it 13-4. The Yellowjackets closed the gap to 13-10 with six runs in the bottom of the eighth.
Stockton got one back on an RBI single by Kaplan in the top of the ninth. Wisconsin-Superior scored twice in the bottom half and had the tying run on base with one out before Miller ended the game at 14-12 with a flyout and strikeout.
Starter
Stephen DeMilio (Tuckerton/Pinelands) allowed two runs on seven hits with two strikeouts in five innings pitched for the win.
After returning home from Florida, Stockton will play at Gwynedd Mercy on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m.