Gaul reaches milestone as baseball takes first two from Saint Anselm

SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - Brandon Gaul collected five hits, including the 100th of his career, helping the American International College baseball team to take the first two of a four-game Northeast-10 Conference series from Saint Anselm College, 10-2 and 7-4, on Friday, April 21.

AIC is now 17-17 on the season and 8-6 in the NE10.

The Yellow Jackets jumped on the Hawks immediately in the first as Brendan Edvardsen doubled to center field, and Josh Frometa walked. Two batters later, Jackson Haker singled to drive in Edvardsen, and Gaul followed with a base knock to score Frometa.

Though the Hawks led the third off with a home run, the gap did not close, as in the home half Gaul singled and Tyler Ziemak doubled, with Chad Lavelle's flyout allowing Gaul to score. 

In the fifth, Haker doubled and advanced on a wild pitch. Gaul hit a fly to left and Haker appeared to have scored, but the Hawks appealed to third and Haker was called out. The AIC bench was incensed at the call, and channeled it into a two-out rally, as Tyler Ziemak walked and Lavelle crushed a ball into the gap to score him. Yeudy Ramirez then beat out a grounder to short, and the duo pulled off a double steal, giving AIC a 5-1 cushion.

As in the third, the Hawks led off the sixth with a solo shot, only to have AIC take it right back as Frometa and Haker both walked before Gaul doubled down the line in left to score Frometa. The remaining scoring was all AIC, as in the seventh Ryan Lavelle doubled to bring in his brother, who had walked and stolen a base, and Kiernan Caffrey later doubled to push him in. In the eighth, Gaul singled and stole second before coming in on another Ramirez hit, and he ultimately scored on an Edvardsen single through the left side for the 10th run.

The second game started with similar innings; neither side was able to plate a run in the first two frames despite having runners in scoring position. In the third, that changed, as Ryan Lavelle tripled into the corner and was sacrificed home by Edvardsen. Frometa then singled, setting up Caffrey to bat, and he launched a two-run shot to deep right field. 

AIC's lead lasted until the fifth, when the Hawks took advantage of an error and ultimately had six straight batters reach, scoring three times; Kaden Peterson was able to escape the jam with a strikeout and a flyout, preserving the tie.

In the home half, AIC had a two-out rally of its own. Ryan Lavelle's infield single was the only one-out hit; Frometa drove a two-out hit through the left side, and Caffrey followed with a line shot into right to score Lavelle. Haker followed with a two-run double, and Gaul then ripped a grounder through the left side as well, bringing Haker in with his 100th hit. 

Saint Anselm loaded the bases in the sixth with one out, but Hayden Mutz came in and shut the door; he was able to draw an RBI groundout and a flyout to clamp down on the big threat, before ending the game in the next inning with a strikeout. 

Ethan Teixeira was the winner in game one, scattering six hits across his seven frames and fanning five; Anderson Cuello Batista allowed just one hit over the final two frames. Peterson went five innings, allowing two earned with seven strikeouts, in the second contest.

The two teams close out the regular season series on Saturday, April 22 beginning with a seven-inning game at noon at Richard F. Bedard Field.