Caffrey, Lavelle hit walk-offs to propel Baseball to sweep of Assumption

SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - Facing two-run deficits late in both games, the American International College baseball team found a way, and Kiernan Caffrey and Chad Lavelle delivered knockout blows as AIC downed Assumption University, 3-2 in 10 innings and 4-3 in seven innings, to sweep a two-game Northeast-10 Conference series on Friday, March 22.

AIC is now 6-13 overall and 2-3 in the NE10.

Assumption struck early in game one with single runs in the first and second, and despite a strong outing by Nick Balcom with nine strikeouts in five innings, he left with AIC trailing 2-0. Hayden Mutz came on and delivered four strong shutout relief innings, allowing just one hit and giving AIC a chance to come back.

It was a chance they took advantage of. In the seventh, Tyler Ziemak singled and Shea Cucinotta walked; Yeudy Ramirez bunted them over, allowing Ziemak to come home on a wild pitch. In the eighth, the order reversed as Ryan Lavelle was plunked for the second time in the game and Kiernan Caffrey followed with a single. A dribbler to first by Jackson Haker moved the runners, and Josh Frometa's fly to right brought Lavelle to the dish to tie the game.

After a scoreless ninth, Alex Perez came on and despite allowing two baserunners, kept the game tied as he induced a double play to get out of the jam. AIC had the opportunity to win, and Caffrey, batting with two outs, jumped on the first pitch he saw and hammered it down the right field line to put AIC in the lead for the first and only time in the game, winning it with the walk-off shot.

In game two, AIC scored first, with a single by Brendan Edvardsen, a Ryan Lavelle walk, a Haker walk, and a Frometa single to score Edvardsen in the bottom of the opening inning. Assumption countered, taking advantage of a two-out bases-loaded error to force a run across. In the fifth, the Greyhounds added two, taking advantage of a pair of errors and three hits to lead 3-1.

The odds seemed against AIC as the Yellow Jackets trailed 3-1 heading into the final frame, but magic was in store for the home side, evident with pitcher Tim Krol getting out of a second-and-third with no outs in the sixth and a bases-loaded jam in the seventh, both by way of multiple strikeouts. Frometa and Ziemak both walked, setting up AIC to bring on Owen Clancy to pinch hit. The move paid off for longtime Head Coach Nick Callini, as Clancy roped a ball to the wall for two bases and scored Frometa. Chad Lavelle then came to the plate and lined the first pitch he saw to right; a mishandle in the outfield ensured both runners scored and gave AIC the improbable 4-3 win.

Both Perez and Krol earned their first victories on the bump as Yellow Jackets; Mutz, Krol, and Perez combined for seven shutout innings of relief in the two games, and AIC's pitchers allowed just one earned run with 22 strikeouts in the 17 innings of play. 

AIC is next slated to host Bentley University for two beginning at noon on Sunday, March 24.