QUINCY, Mass.—Gordon Baseball settled for a doubleheader split with Eastern Nazarene after springing to a 12-2 win in game one on Saturday afternoon at Adams Field. After a tough first game, Eastern Nazarene battled back for a 3-2 win in dramatic fashion.
Jake Koch (Dayton, Nev.) posted a team-high three base hits on the day and added one RBI and one run scored. Jeremy Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) finished with two hits, two runs scored and a stolen base. Yee collected two base knocks and drove in one RBI while Justin Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) recorded a pair of stolen bases and a hit.
Gordon tallied a dozen runs en route to picking up its eighth league victory of the year.
The visitors got on the board in the top of the first inning, grabbing a 1-0 edge. Dean Demers (Sandy Hook, Conn.) scored from second base as Alex Smith (Wethersfield, Conn.) reached on an error.
The Fighting Scots added two runs in the third to extend their advantage to 3-0. Jared Kefalas (Wenham, Mass.) stole third and scampered home on an errant throw before Demers tagged up and crossed the dish on a sacrifice fly by Travis Pullen (Las Vegas, Nev.).
Eastern Nazarene answered with a pair of scores in the home half of the third inning. Koch scorched a one-out single down the left field line to drive in Luis Gonzalez (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) from second. Jeremy Wagner plated Koch as he rolled a grounder to the right side of the infield.
Gordon reclaimed a three-run lead in the fourth, pushing across two runs. Addison Tarr (Oxnard, Calif.) doubled down the line in left field to score Jesse Amaya (South Gate, Calif.) and later touched the dish on a sacrifice fly by Kefalas.
The guests generated six runs in the fifth frame to establish an 11-2 margin. Eric Walker (Danvers, Mass.), Amaya, Tarr and Demers all picked up RBIs in in the inning.
The Fighting Scots tacked on a score in the sixth inning to take a double-digit lead, 12-2. Tarr landed an RBI single in centerfield to plate Mark Fitzgerald (Camarillo, Calif.).
Scott Hall (Weymouth, Mass.) was the first Gordon pitcher to reach four wins, striking out eight Lions while surrendering only two runs.
In game two, the Lions captured a thrilling 3-2 walk-off win.
Eastern Nazarene plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the first to snag a 2-0 lead. Miguel Ortiz (New Britain, Conn.) bolted home as Jeremy Wagner swiped second base. Pat Yee (Lynnfield, Mass.) raked a two-out single to left to drive in Jeremy Wagner from third.
Gordon cut the deficit in half, 2-1, with a score in the fifth. Walker singled into right field to plate Amaya from third.
The Fighting Scots leveled the contest at 2-2 with one run in the top of the seventh. Kefalas executed a perfect squeeze bunt and Jeremy Jackson (Waco, Texas) crossed the plate with the equalizer.
In the home half of the seventh, Jeremy Wagner laced a two-out double to centerfield and Cameron Fiorentino (Uxbridge, Mass.) followed with the game-winning RBI as he twisted a double down the right field line.
Brent Houle (Westfield, Mass.) tossed his fourth complete game of the season to pick up his team-leading third win. The rookie right-hander struck out six batters and allowed no walks in seven innings of action. Wes Arning (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) took the loss despite striking out a career-high 11 batters in seven innings, but did give up 10 hits.
With a win and two Wentworth losses, Gordon will be among the six teams in the Commonwealth Coast Conference tournament field. They currently sit a half-game behind Curry, who they play in a doubleheader on Monday to decide seeding.
Portions of release courtesy of ENC
