Cliche, PSU earn split
FORT MYERS, Fla. – Plymouth State University pounded out 15 hits and scored 12 runs in five innings before darkness forced the early end to a 12-4 win over Thiel College at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic on Thursday night.
Eight of Plymouth State’s nine batters had base hits and all nine hitters reached base in the shortened win. Sophomore Jackson Curtis (Jefferson, N.H.) and freshman Owen Baum each went 3-for-3 to lead the hit parade, while sophomore Luke Sokolski drove in three and scored twice.
Earlier in the day the Panthers were on the short end of a back-and-forth 10-8 decision against Haverford College. The teams traded punches throughout the game with PSU taking an 8-4 lead into the bottom of the seventh before the Fords rallied to tie the game. Haverford went ahead in the bottom of the eighth. Plymouth State clawed to the end, though, loading the bases in the ninth before Haverford was able to escape with the win.
Plymouth State moved to 5-7 on the season. Haverford goes to 3-4 and Thiel fell to 3-2.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 9, Haverford 10
- Plymouth State 12, Thiel 4 (5 Inn.)
- Plymouth State (5-7)
- Haverford (3-4)
- Thiel (3-2)
How it Happened (Haverford):
- Junior Nick Cote (Londonderry, N.H.) got the Panthers on the board with good baserunning in the third. After a one-out single he stole both second and third before coming home on an RBI single by junior Alex Rives (Gilford, N.H.).
- PSU doubled the lead the next inning with a two-out rally. Junior Griffin Crane (Lancaster, N.H.) ripped a double and Baum drove him in to make it 2-0.
- Haverford tied it up in the bottom of the fourth with a two-out rally of its own.
- The teams traded punches from there. PSU scored twice in the top of the fifth, but Haverford answered in the bottom of the inning.
- Cote scored on Rives’ two-out single for a 5-4 lead in the top of the sixth and PSU pushed across three more runs in the seventh after a wild pitch, bases loaded walk and Rives’ sacrifice fly.
- The Fords rallied in the bottom of the seventh, though, to knot the game at 8-8, before plating two in the eighth to go ahead, 10-8.
- Freshman Danny Quinn (Holliston, Mass.) and sophomore Joshua Welsh (East Lyme, Conn.) had one-out singles in the ninth to put the tying runs on and Rives added a base knock to load the bags with two away, but Haverford escaped with a ground out to close out the game.
By the Numbers (Haverford):
- Rives went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored atop the lineup.
- Welsh and Cote each had two hits, while Crane reached base three times (double, two walks).
- Junior Trey Parker (Lebanon, N.H.) struck out five and allowed three earned over the first five innings. Freshman Tyler Wright (Concord, N.H.) suffered the loss.
How it Happened (Thiel):
- PSU jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first after Rives walked, moved up on a bunt, stole third and came home on a single by junior Nick Healey (Campton, N.H.).
- Thiel tied the game in the bottom half, but Baum singled and Quinn followed with a double to open the second. One run came home on a ground ball and Rives poked a two-out single to center to make it 3-1.
- Plymouth State added to the lead in the fourth, using an error and consecutive singles to load the bases with no outs. Sokolski ripped a ground-rule double to center to score two, Crane added a sacrifice fly and Baum singled in a run to push the margin to 7-1.
- Thiel cut into the deficit with two runs in the bottom of the inning, but the Panthers answered quickly with a five-run fifth.
- Curtis ripped a two-run, bases-loaded single and Sokolski smacked a ground rule double to score another run. Healey followed with an RBI single, and Crane added another sac fly as PSU went ahead 12-3.
- The Tomcats got one run back with a two-out double in the bottom of the fifth before the game was called due to darkness.
By the Numbers (Thiel):
- Curtis and Baum each finished 3-for-3.
- Sokolski went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, three RBI and two runs scored.
- Eight Panthers had at least one hit and all nine batters reached base.
- Junior Bobby Cliche (Stratham, N.H.) picked up the complete game win striking out four over his five innings of work.
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