Bats come alive as Baseball sweeps Saint Michael's

SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - One day after being swept without scoring a run, the American International College baseball team turned the tables, scoring wins of 15-11 and 6-5 against Saint Michael's College in Northeast-10 Conference play on Sunday, April 21.

AIC is now 13-23 overall and 7-13 in the NE10.

The Yellow Jackets wasted no time in making sure they would not be shut out, with two walks and an error loading the bases before a Tyler Ziemak single opened the floodgates; a Yeudy Ramirez walk pushed in another run, as did an Owen Clancy single, and then Ryan Lavelle singled to score two before Kiernan Caffrey went deep for a three-run shot and an 8-0 lead.

Saint Michael's battled to get back into the game, with a second-inning run before a four-run third-frame outburst and another run in the fourth made it 8-6, but Nick Serce smashed a two-run home run in the sixth. That proved critical as the Purple Knights notched three in the seventh to cut AIC's lead to 10-9.

Needing more runs to ensure a win, AIC's offense provided again. Lavelle drove in two with another single, and multiple Yellow Jackets scored on wild pitches before Serce smashed a double down the left-field line to score Jackson Haker and extend the AIC lead to 15-9. The Purple Knights added two more runs, but AIC was able to hang on for the victory.

The teams traded singluar runs early in game two, as Serce continued his hot day with a triple down the line to score Caffrey in the first, only for the Purple Knights to knot it back up in the second. In the home half of that inning, AIC popped off again. A Cole Patterson RBI single and Haker sacrifice fly was matched with a two-run Serce double and AIC led 5-1 in the seven-inning game. 

In the fifth, the Purple Knights stormed back, with a two-run triple and a solo home run as part of a four-run frame, tying the game. They then reloaded the bases, but Hayden Mutz came in from the bullpen and recorded back-to-back strikeouts to preserve the tie.

The Purple Knights put runners at second and third with no outs in the top of the seventh, but Mutz walked the tightrope again, with a strikeout, pop out, and line out stranding the would-be go-ahead runners.

That set the stage for the dramatic finish. Patterson walked and Lavelle was hit by a pitch, bringing Caffrey to the plate. During his at-bat, an apparent balk was called, but Caffrey drove the pitch into right field and Patterson scored, and the game ended in AIC's favor, 6-5.

AIC returns to action Tuesday, April 23 at 3:30 p.m. against Bentley University.