St. John's University Athletics
Navy Takes Game Two of the IWS, 6-3
11/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
QUEENS, N.Y. - After surrendering a three-run first inning, the Navy pitching staff proved nearly untouchable over the final eight frames on Wednesday afternoon, as Navy evened the Intrasquad World Series at a game apiece at Jack Kaiser Stadium.
Nick Mondak picked up the win, pitching six innings and surrendering just two earned runs on three hits, none of which came after the top of the first. The freshman southpaw from Watertown, Conn., also struck out five. Brian Chaballa surrendered a hit in one inning of relief before Aaron Herr entered with no outs in the top of the eighth and earned a six-out save.
Senior Kyle Cunningham paced Navy, going 2-for-3 with a walk and a pair of RBIs, while Troy Dixon and Anthony Brocato each knocked two hits.
Red got off to a quick start for the second-straight day, plating three runs in the top of the first and jumping out to an early lead. Following a Mike Antico single to kick off the action, a pair of Navy errors helped him cross the plate for the game's first run. John Valente, who reached on that first error, touched home following a Michael Donadio single up the middle. Donadio reached home a few batters later after moving to third on a Gui Gingras single and scoring on a Ryan Hogan fielder's choice.
After Red hurler Ryan McAuliffe allowed just one hit through his first three innings of work, Navy came alive in the home half of the fourth, bringing home four runs on five hits to take the lead. The frame started with a pair of singles from Josh Shaw and Dixon, the latter of which moved Shaw to third. With runners on the corners and no outs, Brocato smacked a sacrifice fly to center, giving Navy its first run of the afternoon. Two more singles from Robbie Knightes and Cunningham loaded the bases for Navy and an RBI single from Mark Venice narrowed the deficit to just one, 3-2, with one out in the home half of the fourth. Josh Greene worked a bases-loaded walk in the following at-bat to knot the score at three before Ryan Markey recorded an RBI fielder's choice to give his squad the lead, 4-3.
Both Mondak and Red reliever Sean Mooney locked in over the next few innings as both teams went scoreless before Navy added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth.
Prior to that, Red threatened in the top of the eighth, as Antico singled to lead off the frame before advancing to second on a failed pickoff attempt. With Antico in scoring position, Herr came into the game and surrendered an opening walk to Valente to put runners on first and second with no out. Following a Donadio fielder's choice that gave Red runners on the corners with one out, Herr recorded consecutive outs, fanning Gingras before getting Rob Boselli to ground out to third and end the rally.
Red threatened again in the ninth, as Aidan McDermott singled with one out and moved into scoring position on a wild pitch before Jordan Gillerman walked to bring the potential game-tying run to the plate. Herr came up big once again though, recording two-straight outs to seal the contest.
The Intrasquad World Series' decisive Game Three will be played on Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. at Jack Kaiser Stadium.
