DAVENPORT, FL – After trailing 5-7 heading into the top of the ninth, the Vassar baseball team scored seven runs to secure a 12-9 victory against SUNY Canton on Monday morning. The Brewers close out their spring break trip at 4-5 overall, while the Kangaroos fall to 1-8.
At the bottom of the second, pitcher Sam Brinster (Long Beach, NY) struck out Seth Gilbert but walked the following three batters. Frank Nieto struck a sacrifice fly to center field, which gave Nick Shoemaker the run. Brinster struck out the next batter to keep the game 0-1.
Vassar responded with three runs at the top of the third after Bryce Grathwohl (Cutchogue, NY) led off with a triple. Grathwohl scored off a Jaden Millstein (Margate, NJ) sacrifice fly to tie 1-1. First-year Daniel Laderman (Tel Aviv, Israel) singled on a line drive to bring home Nick Greenhawt (Heber City, UT) and Andrew Kanellis (Burke, VA) to make it 3-1.
The Kangaroos tied it up 3-3 at the bottom of the third; scoring runs off a Zach Miner single and an Alphonse Fuca sacrifice fly. A scoreless fourth inning followed, and SUNY Canton added four runs to take a 3-7 advantage within the next three innings.
First-year Ricardo Reyna (San Antonio, TX) scored after Ty Murray (Lenexa, KS) sent a sacrifice fly to right field, and then Reid Lapekas (McKinney, TX) made it 5-7 by scoring on a catcher error. Vassar took out the SUNY Canton batters 1-2-3 at the bottom of the eighth, with Luke Barrientos (Ridgefield, CT) striking out one batter.
The Brewers started the ninth inning with a Greenhawt single, and the next two batters walked to load the bases. Reyna was hit by a pitch to advance Dawson Dullnig (San Antonio, TX) home. Lapekas then doubled to left field to push the Brewers ahead 8-7. Lapekas scored on a sacrifice, and Kanellis hit an inside-the-park home run to center field to make it 12-7.
SUNY Canton managed two runs in the bottom of the ninth before junior Ryan Harris (Langhorne, PA) struck out the final two batters.
Greenhawt recorded a stellar hitting day, going 4-of-5, while Kanellis, Reyna, and Lapekas had two hits. In total, the Brewers totaled 12 hits.
Vassar returns north and faces Susquehanna on Sat. Mar. 19 at 3 p.m. at Annville, PA.