WENHAM, Mass.—Gordon Baseball overcame a slow start to register a 10-7 win over NEWMAC foe Emerson at J. Tec White Field on Wednesday afternoon. The Fighting Scot offense was humming all afternoon, piling up 12 hits to break a three-game losing streak.
Gordon improves its mark to 7-16, while Emerson falls to 8-17. The Fighting Scots got a much needed victory after entering the day having lost seven of their previous eight contests.
The Lions put the first two runs on the board in the top of the second inning on two hits and a pair of walks. Emerson loaded the bases with only one out when CJ Rogers (Guilford, Conn.) singled in the first run of the game in front of the left fielder. Tim Quitadamo (Worcester, Mass.) made it a 2-0 game just a batter later on a sacrifice fly to center.
Gordon grabbed a run back in the bottom half with a ball hit to the right side for John Lagerfeldt (Stratford, Conn.) to score Morgan Hyde (Thomson, Ga.), who walked to lead off the inning.
Emerson scored two runs in the third frame as well with an error playing a major role in the rally. Clint Fontanella (Pelham, N.H.) singled in a run before another scored on a quirky infield single to the deep part of third base.
Gordon completely erased the deficit in their portion of the third, quickly applying pressure on the visitors. A hit by pitch and a single put Scots on the corners with no outs, but the Lions were able to get the next two batters to record outs. However, freshman designated hitter Matt Paulsen (Latham, N.Y.) came up with the clutch two-out single into left to plate a pair. Lagerfeldt drove in the tying run in the next at bat with a double to the gap in left to score Paulsen from second.
Dean Demers (Sandy Hook, Conn.) was at the center of Gordon taking its first lead of the day, tripling with one out in the fourth. The power-hitting utility player was unable to advance on a fly out, but Christian Hodge (Waltham, Mass.) delivered with the two-out single into the outfield to make it a 5-4 game.
Emerson played small ball in the sixth to knot the game at five, getting a runner aboard on an error before advancing him to third with a sac bunt and a wild pitch. The series of events gave Mitch Moormann (Hollywood, Fla.) a chance to drive in the run on a sacrifice fly to right.
Gordon put another crooked number on the board in the bottom of the sixth, taking the lead right back. Matt Moffat (Stratford, Conn.) doubled to lead off the inning before a walk and an infield single loaded the bases with no outs. Moffat was able to tap home on a wild pitch before Hodge flied to center to score Demers easily from third.
Emerson was able to creep back within one on a Fontanella RBI single in the seventh, only to see Gordon tack on three runs between the seventh and eighth frames to take a four-run advantage. Demers, Tarr and Paulsen were credited with the three RBI.
The Lions attempted a two-out rally in the ninth. After the first two batters grounded out, Emerson earned back-to-back walks. Quitadamo singled to short after a wild pitch had moved the runners into scoring position, scoring one, but Hyde got the one-out save with a groundout to short.
Noah Henkell (San Diego, Calif.) picked up his first win of the year with two innings of relief in the sixth and seventh frames. Sam Knox was tagged with the loss for the Lions (Sturbridge, Mass.) after six innings of work.
Paulsen drove in a game-high three RBI and five different Scots connected for two hits.
Emerson will look to break a 14-game skid at MIT tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. Gordon is tentatively scheduled for a home doubleheader against Endicott on Friday, weather pending.
