FORT PIERCE, Fla. – Backed by solid showings on the mound from junior Jess Bogacz and senior
Connor Farrell the Kenyon College Lords baseball team split two games with the Lebanon Valley College Dutchmen. Kenyon took game one by a 3-2 count and Lebanon Valley came back with a 6-1 victory in game two.
Bogacz was Kenyon's starting pitcher in the opener and he ended up recording all but one out in the seven-inning contest. He allowed just two runs on two hits and three walks. He hit one batter and struck out eight to even his season record at 1-1.
Bogacz started strong. He retired the first 11 batters he faced, including seven by strikeout, before plunking Marshal Kiessling in the top of the fourth inning. Kiessling then stole second and later scored the game's first run on a single from Joshua Marcelli.
Trailing by one, Kenyon uncorked all of its offense in the bottom of the fifth inning. Four straight hits from
Alec Manning,
Paul Siciliano,
Matt von Roemer and
Eric DelRosso led to three Kenyon runs. Siciliano and DelRosso chalked up an RBI on their hits. von Roemer came around to score Kenyon's third run on a wild pitch from reliever Michael Houseal.
That 3-1 Kenyon lead held up until the seventh inning, when the Dutchmen began to threaten. Bogacz surrendered a leadoff walk that eventually led to a run after pinch hitter Michael Leri singled to right field with two outs.
Closer
Luke Calcei came on for the Lords and dealt another walk, pushing the Lebanon Valley lead runner into scoring position. Calcei then got leadoff hitter Chris DeClerico to foul out to Siciliano, who was playing third base. The save was the first of the season for Calcei, who had four last season.
Kenyon (1-6) didn't get the same kind of pitching performance from freshman starter
Brad Clegg in game two. He gave up six runs, four earned, on seven hits and a walk and didn't make it out of the third inning. The Dutchmen roughed him up for four runs in the first inning and then two more in the third.
Senior
Connor Farrell replaced Clegg on the mound and closed out the game for the Lords. He pitched three-and-a-third innings, didn't allow a hit, walked one and struck out two.
Unfortunately for Farrell, the Lords were not able to make up much ground while he held the Dutchmen at bay. Kenyon's lone run, which was unearned, was scored in the fifth inning. DelRosso walked with one out and later came around to score on an infield throwing error.
Lebanon Valley starter Timothy Holdredge ended up pitching six of seven innings. He held the Lords to four hits. He only walked one and struck out two. Zach Yingst then finished things off with a clean seventh inning for the Dutchmen (6-4).
Throughout the two-game set, von Roemer went 3-for-8 with a run scored. DelRosso was 2-for-6 with a run and an RBI, while
Andrew Petersdorf also went 2-for-6.
The Lords continue their run of Florida spring break games Friday with a single contest against Monmouth College at 1 p.m.
Junior Jesse Bogacz pitched the Lords to their first win of the season. He beat Lebanon Valley, 3-2.
Bogacz struck out eight and allowed just two hits and three walks.