Baseball Splits Two Games At Palm Beach Challenge
Felician Box Score
Bloomfield Box Score
LANTANA, Fla. (March 8, 2010) – Continuing their southern trip at the Palm Beach Challenge in Lantana, Florida, the C.W. Post baseball team dropped a 5-0 contest to Felician College on Sunday afternoon before rebounding to post a 10-2 victory over Bloomfield College on Monday morning.
The Pioneers now stand at 2-3 overall on the season.
Sunday's game saw freshman starter
Kevin Chenicek (Levittown, N.Y.) turn in a solid effort, but he did not get much run support for the Pioneers as they were stifled by Felician ace Phil Messerian, who scattered seven hits in a complete game effort.
The Golden Flashes got to Chenicek in the third inning as a single through the left side brought in a run, followed by an RBI and a passed ball that made it 3-0 in favor of Felician.
An eighth-inning squeeze bunt that scored two runs made the game 5-0 Felician and the Pioneers were unable to muster any offense in the eighth or ninth.
Freshman centerfielder Zach Graczyk (Carmel, N.Y.) had two hits for the Pioneers in the game.
In Monday's contest, the Pioneers took advantage of an excellent outing from senior pitcher
Pete Budkevics (Deer Park, N.Y.), who got the Pioneers back in the win column with eight innings of work. The senior righty had a perfect game through five innings, and shutout the Deacons for seven innings. His final line would be two runs on six hits, with nine strikeouts on the afternoon.
The Pioneers gave Budkevics some early run support as
Brian Anderson (Nesconset, N.Y.) roped a single to right field and moved to second on an errant pickoff attempt by the Bloomfield catcher. Anderson would come around to score on a misplayed ball hit by graduate designated hitter
Joe Armenti (Dix Hills, N.Y.)
The Pioneers put two more runs on the board in the fourth inning as sophomore third baseman
Nick Compito (Syosset, N.Y.) reached on an infield error. Armenti followed with a perfectly placed bunt single between the pitcher and the first baseman, and senior left fielder
Kyle Dean (Southbury, Conn.) laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners. With two outs, Graczky ripped a single to right field, scoring both runners for a 3-0 lead.
Four runs in the sixth, with RBI singles coming from senior shortstop
Bryan Bonin (Commack, N.Y.) senior right fielder
Mike Callaghan (East Meadow, N.Y.) and Anderson, gave C.W. Post a 7-0 lead.
The Pioneers would score another run in the seventh courtesy of another Anderson RBI single.
Bloomfield touched Budkevics for two runs in the eighth on three consecutive hits, but the senior struck out Emilio Fernandez with runners on second and third and two outs to end the threat.
The Pioneers scored two more runs in the eighth inning and
Brian Saldana (Deer Park, N.Y.) set down the Deacons in order in the ninth as the Pioneers rolled to victory.
Armenti, Dean and Anderson each had three hits on the day, as Anderson added two RBI. Graczyk added two hits and two RBI and Bonin and Callaghan also added two hits apiece.
C.W. Post continues tomorrow, Tuesday, March 9, as they take on Bloomfield College at 1 p.m. The Pioneers wrap up their Florida trip with an 11 a.m. doubleheader on Wednesday, March 10.