Nighthawks Sweep Doubleheader From Baseball

Final - Game 2	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Becker (15-16)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	7	0
Newbury (20-15)	1	3	3	2	0	0	X	9	13	3
@ Chestnut Hill, Mass. | Shea Field

Pitching
Win: Alex Chetelat (6-1) - Newbury
Loss: Trenton Gibson (0-0) - Becker

Becker Batting
2B: Eric Lajoie
3B: none
HR: none

Newbury Batting
2B: Matthew Clawson; Cameron D'Agostino; Kyle Schiavone
3B: none
HR: none

full stats

Chestnut Hill, Mass.-The Newbury College baseball team swept Saturday afternoon's doubleheader against New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) opponent, Becker College, 10-2 and 9-1. Senior Alex Chetelat (Farmington, Conn.), who picked up his sixth win of the season, in game two, went two-for-five at the plate while driving in three RBIs and scoring three runs in the sweep of the Hawks.

Sophomore centerfielder Michael Dwyer (Hamden, Conn.) opened the home half of the first lacing a double down the leftfield line before scampering to third when junior rightfielder Matthew Clawson (Tolland, Conn.) beat out an infield chopper to shortstop. Senior backstop Patrick Curry (Hampstead, N.H.) lifted a towering fly ball to right to plate Dwyer with the game's first run.

However, the lead did not last for long. Becker answered and knotted up the score an inning later before taking a 2-1 lead in the top of the third. The Nighthawks remained unfazed and batted around in the bottom of the half  to put up an eight spot.

Dwyer quickly turned a single, to lead off the inning, into a double; swiping second for his team-leading 18^th steal of the season. Just like the first inning, Clawson reached on another infield single and moved Dwyer up to third in the process. Two batters, Chetelat roped a laser into the left-center field gap to drive home Dwyer and Clawson for his 33^rd and 34^th RBIs, respectively, of the season, to give the Nighthawks the 3-2 advantage. He, then, got on his horse and cruised around the diamond, into third, for his sixth triple of the year. Fellow senior, left fielder Michael Dean (Wethersfield, Conn.) drove in his classmate with an opposite field base-hit for the fourth Newbury run.

But the Nighthawks were not done yet with first year third baseman Steven Broy (Gorham, Maine) executed the hit-and-run to perfection. With Dean off on the pitch at first, Broy lined a single through the hole between first and second, sending Dean to third. Dean came into the score the third Newbury run of the inning on a sacrifice fly off the bat of first year shortstop Corey Keane (Tolland, Conn.).

Following a walk by senior second baseman Joey Herer (Needham, Mass.), sophomore Chris Murphy (Griswold, Conn.) loaded the bases with a single  to bring the line-up back around to the top. Batting for the second time in the inning, Dwyer lined a single into right, plating both Herer and Broy, before Clawson capped off the inning with a two-run single.

Junior starter Chris Ninteau (Lisbon, Conn.)  was magnificent on the hill and kept the Hawks off the scoreboard for the next four innings for his conference leading sixth victory of the season. Pitching his eighth complete game of the season, the Connecticut native gave up two runs – just one earned – on six hits while striking out five Hawks.

The Nighthawk bats did not quiet down in the second game of the twin-bill. Despite falling down by one in the top of the first, the Nighthawks got that run back in the home half of the frame. Leading off the inning, Dwyer turned another single into a double with his 19^th steal of the season – second of the afternoon. After scampering up 90 feet on another infield base-hit from Clawson, Dwyer knotted up the ballgame at one when Becker starter sophomore Trenton Gibson (Henderson, Nev.) uncorked a wild pitch.  And the Nighthawks did not look back.

In the bottom of the second the Nighthawks were threatening with runners on first and second and no outs. First year second baseman Cameron D'Agostino (Salisbury, Mass.) took the first pitch he saw from Gibson and lined a chopper back where it came from to plate Broy, who walked to lead-off the inning. Junior centerfielder Kyle Schiavone (Wethersfield, Conn.) followed suit driving home Keane for the third Newbury run with a double down the right field line. Two batters latter, Clawson drove home D'Agostino for the third run of the inning. In the process, Schiavone tried valiantly to score from second but was thrown out at the plate for the final out of the frame.

The Nighthawks scored in each of the first three innings to build a 9-1 lead which was plenty for the reigning NECC Pitcher of the Week, who allowed just one unearned run while scattering seven hits and striking out six Hawks.

With the win, Newbury improves to 20-15 and 10-7 in conference play while Becker drops to 15-16 and 9-5 in the NECC. The Nighthawks will look to sweep the season series tomorrow afternoon, Sunday April 22^nd, in Leicester, Mass. First pitch is slated for 11:00 am