IMMACULATA, Pa. - The Immaculata University baseball team put up six runs in the seventh inning to defeat Penn State Berks in come-from-behind fashion for the Macs' sixth-straight victory Wednesday afternoon, 13-8.
Richard Fontanillas launched a towering, solo home run in the fourth innng to open the scoring while
Connor Blesi continued his recent hot stretch at the plate with a three-hit day including a pair of doubles.
Nick DeSantis picked up his first win on the mound in the 2019 season with an inning-plus of work out of the bullpen before
Ryan Crowell came on for the final six outs to record his second save of his rookie season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-The Macs and Nittany Lions were stuck scoreless through the first three and a half innings as neither side was able to break through offensively. IU starter
Gabe Hollenbach held Penn State Berks hitless through his first four innings to begin his outing.
-Fontanillas opened the scoring with a one-out, solo shot to left-center - his third of the season - before
Kyle Hannon and
Joey Sacco came through with two-out, run scoring singles to put the Macs up 3-0.
-The Nittany Lions answered right back in the top of the fifth with five unearned runs to take a two-run lead before adding to their lead with two more in the sixth.
-The Macs posted a six-spot in the home half of the seventh to take back the lead, one which they would hold on to the rest of the way.
Tom Prato and
Corey Pezak lined back-to-back singles to start the frame before Fontanillas reached on an error on a sacrifice attempt to load the bases with no outs. Blesi followed with a knock through the left side to score one before
Domenic Dellabarba and
Kyle Hannon drew walks to force in a pair of runs, tying the game at seven.
Zach Van Meter then laid down a perfect suicide squeeze to plate Blesi with the go-ahead run before Sacco lofted a two-run single to left to extend the IU lead to three at 10-7.
-Penn State Berks chipped away at the deficit with a single run in the eighth, but Blesi and Dellabarba each ripped RBI doubles in the home half before Van Meter brought in the third run of the frame with an infield hit.
-Crowell allowed the first two batters he faced to reach to begin the ninth, but settled in to retire the next three in order to earn the save.
IU LEADERS AT THE PLATE
-Fontanillas: 2-4, Solo HR (3)
-Blesi: 3-4, 2 2 2B, 3 RBI
-Sacco: 2-5, SB, 3 RBI
IU LEADERS ON THE MOUND
-Hollenbach: 4.2 IP, 3H, 4R (0ER), 2K
-DeSantis: W (1-0), 1.2 IP, H, R, 2K
-Crowell: SV (2), 2 IP, H, 0R, 2K
UP NEXT
Immaculata (20-11) welcomes in Marymount Saturday for its final Atlantic East Conference doubleheader beginning at noon. The program's six seniors will be honored prior to first pitch of game one.
