The Suffolk University Baseball team put together a 13-hit offensive attack to defeat the Albertus Magnus College Falcons to open the 2015 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament on Tuesday evening at Adams Field in Quincy.
Sophomore Chuck Gibson (Malden, Mass.) allowed one earned run over six innings before giving way to freshman Worth Walrod (Dedham, Mass.) as the number three seed Suffolk advances to this weekend's four team double elimination tournament.
Albertus opened the scoring in the visitor's half of the first inning when sophomore Tyler Graziano (Trumbull, Conn.) drew a hit by pitch with one out. Senior Anthony Pellegrino (Branford, Conn.) would then knock in the game's first run as he double in the right center gap to give the Falcons the early lead.
In the second inning junior Steven Lockman (Wallingford, Conn.) would come around to score from second as an errant throw on an infield bunt went down the right field line to make it 2-0.
Suffolk would answer in the home half of the second as sophomore Luke Ronchi (Randolph, N.J.) doubled to left with one out in the inning. Junior Drew Carter (Newburyport, Mass.) would then triple to center to plate the first run of the game. An infield error would bring Carter home as sophomore BJ Neil (Lynnfield, Mass.) sprinted down the line to beat the throw and even then game.
In the fifth, Suffolk would score five times to jump out to a 7-2 lead. Junior Julien Plana (Miami, Fla.) would double to left center before a walk to junior Jon Lapolla (Providence, R.I.) would begin the threat. Ronchi would hit his second double of the ball game into the left center gap bringing Plana around to score for the lead. After a sacrifice fly by junior Rob Marks (Revere, Mass.) would bring in another run, Carter would deliver his second RBI of the ball game with a base hit to right. Senior Adam Johnson (Georgetown, Mass.) would later double home another run before Neil capped the inning off with a bloop hit to center.
Suffolk would tack on three more in the seventh inning as freshman Brady Chant (Warwick, R.I.) drove in a pair of runs with a two out single to right before freshman pinch hitter Greg Speliotis (Salem, Mass.) doubled to right scoring Chant.
Chant, Plana, Ronchi, and Carter all recorded multi-hit efforts on the evening for Suffolk.
Pellegrino was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a pair of RBI in the setback for the Falcons.
Senior Arber Mehmedi (Naugatuck, Conn.) also had a two hit effort including a double in the sixth.
Albertus would tack on three runs in the ninth inning as Pellegrino singled home a run, while senior Ted Gravel (Morris, Conn.) also added an RBI single. Gravel collected two RBI on the evening for the Falcons.
Gibson scattered six hits through six innings of work while striking out four to improve to a 2-4 record on the season.
Walrod recorded his first career save as he went the final three allowing the three runs in the ninth. He struck out four while allowing three runs on three hits.
With the victory Suffolk improves to a 14-16 record on the season. They will now head to number two seed Johnson & Wales University on Thursday evening at 6:00pm.