SPRINGFIELD, MASS. – The Saint Anselm baseball team travelled to Springfield, Mass., this afternoon to play a relocated home doubleheader against the American International College Yellow Jackets.   The Hawks' struggled in the first game, falling to the Yellow Jackets 11-3, but they turned it around for game two, soaring to a 6-1 victory.  The split puts the Hawks at 4-14 (2-6 NE-10) and the Yellow Jackets at 5-11 (2-4 NE-10).

Game 1: American International 11, Saint Anselm 3
The Yellow Jackets got off to a quick start in game one, as Paul Maza got on base in the top of the first with a one-out single.  Dan Bassani followed him with a single to the right side, and a balk by Hawk pitcher Myke Fortier (Andover, Mass.) sent Maza across the plate for the first run of the game.  Anthony Arrichiello grounded to second base for the second out of the inning, but Bassani then scored an unearned run as Nicholas Devine reached base off first baseman Robert Kelly's (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) error.   Darien Brown led off the top of the second by getting hit by a pitch, and he later scored off Chris Amate's sacrifice fly, making it 3-0 Yellow Jackets.

The Hawks got on the board in the third inning, when Robert Kelly smashed a two-run homer over the wall, scoring TJ Murphy (Reading, Mass.) and bringing the Hawks within a run of the Yellow Jackets.  However, American International tacked on seven more runs over the next three innings to take a huge 10-2 lead.  Mike Garczynski (Fort Myers, Fla.) drove in Rett Ostafin (Avon, Conn.) with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the eighth, but the Yellow Jackets responded with another run in the ninth, for a final score of 11-3.

Myke Fortier allowed seven runs, five earned, on eight hits and two walks over 5.1 innings, taking his second loss of the season.  Joe Latino (Holden, Mass.) made his first appearance of the year, and after getting the final two outs of the sixth inning, he surrendered hits to the first three batters in the seventh to give up three runs in 0.2 innings.  Matt Stone (West Roxbury, Mass.) relieved Latino in the seventh, and allowed just one run over the final three innings.

Zach Bunszell picked up his first win of the season in a solid outing, allowing just two runs on seven hits over five innings.  Chris Goonan pitched the final four innings for the Yellow Jackets, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out two.

Game 2: Saint Anselm 6, American International 1
The Hawks got out to a good start in the second game, as Richie Manzi (Plymouth, N.H.) led off with a single to the left side.  Eric Baca (Franklin, N.H.), making his first start of the season behind the plate, traded places with Manzi on a fielder's choice to first base.  He then scored on an error by Yellow Jacket shortstop Amate after Matt Sucharewicz (Peabody, Mass.) put the ball in play.  The Hawks added a second unearned run in the bottom of the third inning, when Manzi scored from second base on a throwing error by Bassani after Robert Kelly singled to left field.

Hawk senior David Giarrusso (Cranston, R.I.) got the nod to start game two of the doubleheader.  He pitched three scoreless innings before allowing a leadoff single up the middle to Devine.  Kelley moved him to second with a soft grounder to the pitcher.  He then stole third and scored on a throwing error by Baca, scoring the Yellow Jackets first and only run of the game.

Steven Panza (Watertown, Mass.) started off the bottom of the seventh inning with a walk.  Joshua Lafond (Goffstown, N.H.) moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt. Manzi made it first and third, getting on by pitcher Matt Lee's error and then advanced to second on a wild pitch.  Lee got the second out of the inning, forcing Baca to pop out to the second basemen, but he then walked Kelly to load the bases.  John Shivo replaced Lee on the mound, and allowed Panza to score on a wild pitch.  He then walked Sucharewicz to load the bases once again, and Rett Ostafin then walked in Manzi.  DeCoste got on base by Amate's second error of the game, which allowed Kelly to score, and TJ Murphy then walked in Sucharewicz, rendering the final score 6-1 in favor of the Hawks.

Hawk started Giarrusso allowed just one unearned run on two hits and five walks in 5.2 innings, striking out four.  Timothy Cooney (E. Bridgewater, Mass.) pitched the final 3.1 innings, allowing just two hits and no walks while striking out two.  Yellow Jacket starter Lee allowed five unearned runs on four hits and four walks over 6.2 innings.  Shivo allowed the sixth unearned run off a wild pitch while walking both batters he faced.  Geoff McCowat got the final out of the seventh inning, and Tim Bailey pitched a scoreless eighth, allowing just one hit.  None of the Yellow Jacket pitchers struck out a Hawk in game two.

The Hawks return to action Tuesday, March 30th, when they return to Waltham, Mass., to take on the Bentley University Falcons in their fifth matchup of the season.  The Northeast-10 Conference game will begin at 3:30 pm.