NEW HAVEN, Conn. – For Post University Baseball to extend its winning streak to eight straight games, the longest since 2018, all it took was the sixth and seventh innings of both games on Saturday against Southern Connecticut State University at The Ballpark at SCSU. Scoring 12 of their 14 runs in those two innings alone across the entire doubleheader, the Eagles broke open a tie score in game one for a 6-1 win before coming back from a 3-2 deficit to finish off the sweep with an 8-5 victory against the Owls.
THE BASICS
Post University 6, Southern Connecticut State University 1
Post University 8, Southern Connecticut State University 5 (7 Innings)
Post University (13-8)
Southern Connecticut State University (13-8)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1: Post University 6, Southern Connecticut State University 1
Senior utilityman
Damaurys Rodriguez got the scoring started with a first-inning RBI single, giving Post a 1-0 lead that would immediately be responded to by sophomore infielder Brennan Staubley with his RBI single in the second inning to tie things up at one. Senior right-hander
Brennan Holligan would settle in from there, turning in another quality start to earn his third win of the season.
Holligan finished the day going seven innings, allowing that one run on three hits with six strikeouts and three walks, throwing 97 pitches. With the six strikeouts on the day, the senior now moves two away from reaching 200 career strikeouts between his time at Post and the College of Southern Nevada.
Freshman infielder
Rene Vega III would break the tie in the sixth inning with his RBI single through the left side as part of a stretch in which Post scored five unanswered runs between the sixth and seventh innings to pick up their seventh consecutive win. Sophomore infielder
Jesse Alfalla, who went 2-for-4 with an RBI, also plated a run in the sixth while Vega III tacked on two more with his RBI single in the seventh along with sophomore infielder
Maico Cardona's sacrifice fly in the 6-1 victory.
Freshman right-hander Brandon San Marco would be responsible for allowing all five unanswered runs that the Eagles had after lasting 1 2/3 innings and giving up seven hits with two walks, a hit batter, and a strikeout to take his first collegiate loss in relief. Graduate right-hander Spencer Fox, who started the game for the Owls, pitched five innings on one-run ball with five hits allowed, six strikeouts, and three walks for the no-decision.
Game 2: Post University 8, Southern Connecticut State University 5 (7 Innings)
Like in game one, it was the Eagles getting on the board first with a double play by senior third baseman
Justin Rivera plating a run with the bases loaded for a lead that would not last long as the Owls came back with two in the bottom of the first inning. Senior outfielder Jake Gruttadauria's RBI double followed by graduate first baseman Jack Drewry's RBI single flipped the game back in favor of Southern Connecticut, 2-1, a score that would remain the same until Post's comeback in the sixth.
Finally able to get to freshman right-hander Jace Alvino, Rodriguez continued his stellar doubleheader with a pinch-hit, go-ahead two-run single that gave Post the lead back, 3-2, as well as knocked Alvino out of the game. Freshman right-hander Payton Powell would escape the inning, ending Alvino's line at 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on six hits with six walks and two strikeouts.
Graduate right-hander
Erik Gutowski came in to relief senior right-hander
Justin Portes, who had one of the best starts of his career, in the bottom of the sixth in which the Owls would tie it up after a leadoff walk and two errors by Gutowski on the same play scored Staubley from first, making it a 3-3 game with one inning left. As for Portes, his line would include a career-high 10 strikeouts across five innings in which he allowed two runs on five hits with three walks and two wild pitches.
Pushing across five runs in the seventh, Rivera gave Post the lead for good with his RBI double, followed by graduate first baseman
Hayden Roberge's RBI single to extend the lead at that point to two runs, 5-3. Another sacrifice fly by Cardona, his second of the afternoon, followed by junior outfielder
Harby Valera's RBI single and the third RBI of the game for Rodriguez closed out the offensive explosion for the Eagles, who led 8-3 entering the home half of the inning.
While freshman right-hander
CJ Pierce would run into some trouble, allowing two runs via a hit batter and sacrifice fly, Pierce would nail down the win for Post, 8-5, after retiring freshman outfielder Aidan Hyams, the game's tying run, with a fly out to center field, giving the Eagles their eighth straight win.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Jesse Alfalla reached base safely in both games for Post University today, extending his on-base streak to all 18 games he has played for the Eagles so far this season
- Recording three hits across the doubleheader today, Hayden Roberge now sits at 97 career hits between his time at Norwich University and with Post University
- Recording six strikeouts in game one during his start, Brennan Holligan is now just two strikeouts away from 200 in his career between his time at Post University and the College of Southern Nevada
- Post University has now won eight consecutive games for the first time since the 2018 season, when they did so from April 22nd until May 1st. The Eagles have also swept six consecutive doubleheaders this season
WHO'S NEXT
Post University closes out their four-game weekend against Southern Connecticut State University with another doubleheader against the Owls tomorrow afternoon at Municipal Stadium starting at 12:00 PM.
