IMMACULATA, Pa. – The Immaculata baseball team dropped the first game of the Atlantic East Conference Tournament 8-4 against Cabrini on Wednesday afternoon. The double-elimination tournament will continue on Friday as the remaining teams travel to the host: Marymount University.
The Cavaliers got on board in the top of the first, hitting a one-out, three run home run to take the early 3-0 lead.
After a scoreless second inning, the Cavaliers increased their lead in the top of the third inning, scoring a run from third on a sacrifice fly into left field. Left fielder
Greg Dahl made a diving stop on the play, preventing the base hit as the Cavaliers increased their lead to 4-0.
Dahl then led off the bottom half of the third with a double off of the left field fence. Dahl would then score from third base on a sacrifice fly from
Joe Sacco. Later in the inning,
Josh Crowding reached base on an infield single to shortstop, beating the throw. Following an infield single to third base by
Richard Fontanillas,
Joey Wright stepped up to the plate with runners on the corners. Wright hit a hard ball to the shortstop, forcing an error to score Crowding, cutting Cabrini's lead to 4-2.
After getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the fourth, the Mighty Macs returned to the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning. After a fly out to start the inning,
RJ Mason reached base on an error by the right fielder. Dahl then reached base on a fielder's choice before Sacco reached on an infield single. With two runners on,
Tyler Kmiec smacked a doubled into left field, scoring both runners to tie the game at 4-4.
Cabrini responded in the top of the fifth inning, scoring a run to regain a 5-4 lead. The Cavaliers increased their lead further in the top of the sixth, scoring three additional runs.
The Mighty Macs only managed two hits from the fifth inning on as they failed to rally, dropping the game with a final score of 8-4.
Offensively for the Mighty Macs,
Tyler Kmiec went 1-for-5 with a two-RBI double to tie the game up in the fourth. Crowding and Fontanillas each went 2-for-5 with Crowding scoring one run.
The Mighty Macs will return to action on Friday as they continue Atlantic East Tournament play. They will face Wesley in an elimination game on Friday at 12:00 p.m. The Atlantic East Tournament will be played at the Nationals Youth Stadium in Washington, D.C., hosted by Marymount University.
