Acorn

Issue date: 4/11/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Kerry Klug Pitcher Evan Martens ('11) pitched six scoreless innings while scattering only three hits against Centenary College.

Despite struggling through the middle stages of the season, Drew University's baseball team remains right in the thick of the Landmark Conference playoff chase. After splitting a doubleheader against the Scranton University Royals on Sunday and dropping another tough one-run game to Centenary College on Wednesday, the Rangers stand at 4-18 overall, but still just 3-7 in conference play.

"Every game is important," first baseman Andrew Imperiale ('09) said. "We play every game as hard as we can, but conference games determine who's going to the playoffs, so that's always in the back of our minds."

After dropping nine straight games, the Rangers are fortunate to remain in contention for the final playoff spot in the Landmark Conference. Nevertheless, Scranton is a formidable Landmark opponent, and the Rangers could not afford another costly sweep within conference play. After falling in the first game of the series 11-1 on Saturday, the Rangers hoped to take at least one game of two games the following day.

"Everybody has suffered tough losses," Imperiale said. "It's how you rebound that makes you a competitor. We have a lot of competitors on our team." Drew played fundamental baseball to keep things close in the first game. Due in part to the effort of starting pitcher Matt Levine ('08), who carried a no-hitter through the first four innings of play, the game remained scoreless through four frames. With Levine silencing Scranton's bats, the Rangers finally broke through against Royals starting pitcher John Gennaaoui ('08) with five runs in the top on the fifth inning.

The Rangers made Scranton pay for a pair of errors to lead off the inning. After the first two runners got on base, outfielder Dante LaPenta ('08) got hit by a pitch to load the bases for outfielder James Soldo ('08), who knocked in two runs with a clutch double. Imperiale then drove in LaPenta with a sacrifice fly. Scranton hoped to stop the bleeding there, but designated hitter Matt McGrath ('10) put the finishing touch on a huge inning with a long two-run double to put the Rangers up 5-0.

Continued...

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