Pace sweeps tight series with Baseball

SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The American International College baseball team fell just short in three Northeast-10 Conference contests with Pace University, falling 9-3 on Saturday, April 6 and then 1-0 and 4-1 on Sunday, April 7.

AIC is now 8-19 with a 3-9 NE10 mark.

The Yellow Jackets started the scoring in the opener in inning two; Jackson Haker led off the frame with a double and Chad Lavelle followed with a base hit. Both advanced on a passed ball, with Haker coming in. A groundout and flyout allowed Lavelle to cross the dish for a 2-0 AIC lead. 

The Setters went on a roll from the fourth inning on, scoring three times in that frame and then adding one each in the sixth and seventh before a four-run ninth pushed the lead to 9-2. A single run in the ninth, scored by Connor Daly on a Shea Cucinotta single, was the last of AIC's offense on the day, leading to the 9-3 final.

Game two was a pitcher's duel; the only run of the entire game was an Anthony Labita home run for Pace in the top of the fourth. Tim Krol was strong, allowing just one hit otherwise across seven innings in his first start. He fanned nine in the game but took the loss as Patrick Gleason twirled a complete-game, one-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts for the Setters.

Game three likewise saw a dearth of scoring. Yeudy Ramirez walked, stole second, advanced on a groundout, and came home on a wild pitch in the first for AIC's lone run. The Setters tied it in the third on a sacrifice fly before stringing together four hits and a hit batter to plate three runs in the seventh for the margin of victory. AIC's starter, Kaden Peterson, was strong in 5.2 innings of work, allowing one run on just five hits, though Pace's Dan Brown went seven and struck out 11 for the win.

AIC returns to action on Tuesday, April 9 against Assumption University with a single game at Richard F. Bedard Field at 3:30 p.m.