YELLOW JACKET BATS HEAT UP IN 8-5 WIN OVER STONEHILL
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (March 31, 2007) -
American International College pounded out 12 hits as it scored
eight runs en route to a 8-5 Northeast-10 baseball victory over
Stonehill College at AIC Park Tuesday afternoon. The Yellow
Jackets snapped an eight-game slide with the win as they improve to
5-9 and 1-6 in league play, while the Skyhawks are 8-14 and 2-8 in
the league.
AIC would jump out to a 5-0 lead after two innings. In the first, Kyle Paton (Westfield, Mass.) would lead off the game with a walk and would come home on a single by Jeff Rustico (Plantsville, Conn.). Tyler Cooke (Brattleboro, Vt.), the second batter of the game, singled and would eventually score on a base hit by Matt Rhodes (Charlestown, R.I.) to make the score 2-0 after one inning.
The Yellow Jackets would plate three more runs in the second. The first two batters, Dominic Meattey (Fitzwilliam, N.H.) and Jason Rustico (Plantsville, Conn.) both singled, with Meattey scoring on a fielders' choice and Rustico on a sacrifice by Cooke. Paton would score the third run after reaching on a fielders choice and coming home on an error.
After Jason Rustico walked and scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-0 in the fourth, Paton would close out the scoring with a two-run double in the fifth that scored Jason Rustico and Chuck March (Plantsville, Conn.).
Stonehill would rally with five runs in the final three innings but could get no closer, with Mike Lavato (Springfield, Mass.) retiring the final batter of the game to earn a save.
Uchon Yi (Windsor Locks, Conn.) went the first six innings for AIC and did not allow a run while giving up four hits and fanning three. Joe Goodwin took the loss for Stonehill, throwing the first two innings.
Jason Rustico, March and Bryan Turney (Auburn, Mass.) all finished with two hits apiece as every Yellow Jacket starter had at least one base hit. Paton finished with three runs batted in, while both Rustico brothers and March finished with two RBI apiece.
AIC travels to Stonehill on Thursday.