Hamilton Outlasts Saints 17-10

by: 

Wally Johnson

Tim Harris makes a play in center against Hamilton at Watertown

Hamilton College parlayed 20 hits, nine walks and two hit batsmen into its biggest offensive day of the season and snapped a four-game losing skid with a 17-10 win over St. Lawrence University in a non-league NCAA Division III baseball game at Watertown's Duffy Fairgrounds Wednesday night.

Hamilton improves to 7-20 on the season while St. Lawrence takes a 14-13 record into a Thursday afternoon game at Oswego.

Things did not get off to a good start for the Saints as starting pitcher Jason Conde walked the first three batters he faced and then hit Kevin Prindle to force in one run. Grady Vigneau then doubled down the right field line to clear the bases and Dan Peters followed with a triple to center field for a 5-0 lead, ending the night for Conde. Kyle Donaldson came on in relief and got the first out of the inning as Sam Fuentes flew to right field, driving in Peters with a sacrifice fly. Donaldson then struck out the eighth and ninth Hamilton batters, but the Continentals came out of the top of the first with a 6-0 lead.

The Saints came back with four in the bottom of the first as Tom Pasquali led off with a double to center and after two out, catcher Matt DeLuca doubled home Pasquali. Rob Carman then singled in DeLuca and Tim Harris kept the inning alive with a single to short right center. Paul Piatelli was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Ryan Fedo then laced a single down the left field line to drive home Carman and Harris before Hamilton starter Alex Augustyn worked his way out of the inning.

Hamilton made it an 8-4 game with two in the top of the second as a walk, Wes Mayberry's double and a two-run single by Prindle produced the runs and the Continentals tagged on another run in the top of the fourth on a walk and Vigneau's second double of the day.

The Saints got back to within two in the bottom of the fourth on a three-run homer to left by Ryan Duff, but Hamilton went up 10-7 in the top of the fifth on Alex Augustyn's run scoring single. Two walks, a double steal and DeLuca's sacrifice fly cut the Hamilton lead to 10-8 in the bottom of the sixth.

Hamilton came right back with five in the top of the seventh when leadoff hitter Joe Buicko singled, was sacrificed to second and scored on Mayberry's single with Mayberry coming around on Prindle's single and an outfield error. Vigneau doubled to drive in Prindle and two bases loaded walks made it a 15-8 game.

Duff singled and later scored on a fielder's choice to cut the Hamilton lead to 15-9 in the bottom of the eighth, but Buicko got that one back for Hamilton with a run scoring single in the top of the ninth and Augustyn singled through the infield to make it 17-9. Ethan Braddock doubled, went to third on Pasquali's single and scored on Duff's ground out for the 10^th Saint run in the bottom of the ninth.