MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.—The Hobart baseball team delivered an impressive performance in a doubleheader sweep of The College of New Jersey, securing a 10–3 victory in the first game and following it up with a 7–3 win in the second.
GAME 1: Hobart 10, TCNJ 3
Senior
Teck Nash pitched a complete game for the Statesmen, going seven innings with four strikeouts and allowing just four hits. After falling into a 2-0 hole after just two batters, he settled down and contained the Lions' hitters. He threw 86 pitches, 57 for strikes, on his way to improving his season record to 2-1.
Senior
Will Jones, juniors
Connor O'Neil and
Sean Garvin, and first-year
Jack O'Neil all contributed two hits. Jones added a game-high three RBIs and was one of four Statesmen to score twice in the game. The Statesmen racked up 11 hits in total, including five doubles.
The Lions initially took the lead when Michael Contiliano followed Jack O'Donnell's lead-off single with a home run down the right field line. Hobart answered in the second inning as
Will Jones reached first on an error and scored on a double by
Jack O'Neil. Later in the inning, first-year
Jack Gangemi's ground out to short scored O'Neil to tie the game.
In the fourth inning, Hobart pushed across three more runs, aided in part by more errors. Junior
Jack Byrnes delivered the big blow with his two run double to center, bringing in
Jack O'Neil and Pinto to make it a 5–2 game. The Statesmen extended their lead in the fifth when Garvin and
Connor O'Neil both singled, and a double by Jones brought them home. Gangemi then tripled, scoring Pinto, pushing the lead to 8–3. Hobart tacked on two more runs in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by sophomore
Jackson Rucker and Jones' RBI single.
TECK TALK
GAME 2: Hobart 7, TCNJ 3
In the second game, Hobart never trailed in the 7–3 win that saw them race to two triples and a double. Hobart took control in the third when Garvin doubled to right center and scored on sophomore
Aidan Davenport's triple.
Jack O'Neil walked, stole second, and set the stage for senior
Jackson Fowle, who singled to right field, driving in two runs. Fowle advanced on a wild pitch and scored on
Cole Conte's single, giving the Statesmen a commanding 4–0 lead.
The Lions got two runs back in the bottom of the fourth, but in the fifth,
Jack O'Neil reached on an error and crossed home on sophomore
Jack Farnen's single. Garvin later walked with the bases loaded, pushing Hobart's lead to 6–2. TCNJ (5-8) scored a single run in the bottom of the inning to cut their deficit to 6-3. The Statesmen added an insurance run in the seventh when Byrnes tripled down the left field line and scored on senior
Christian Petry's sacrifice bunt. Senior
Max Friedlander closed out the game by striking out the final three batters.
On the mound, senior
Cole Tarrant pitched four innings, striking out five while allowing three earned runs. First-year
Joe Dunham provided two scoreless innings of relief, before handing the ball to Friedlander for the seventh.
Eight different Statesmen (9-5) accounted for Hobart's eight hits. Davenport and Byrnes both tripled.
Jack O'Neil added two stolen bases.
FOWLE BALL
Looking ahead, Hobart will face Mount Aloysius College at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 15, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
