Coast Guard Academy Sports Roundup

In matchups against Babson College on Wednesday, the Coast Guard Academy took home one baseball victory as well as a tennis win. The following information was provided by the Coast Guard Academy Athletic Department:

Baseball: Babson 3, Coast Guard 1; Coast Guard 11, Babson 1

Sophomore Mike Massaro went 6-for-7 with two runs scored and five RBIs to help the United States Coast Guard Academy salvage a doubleheader split with host Babson College in New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) baseball action at Govoni Field on Wednesday afternoon.

All five of Massaro’s RBIs came in the Bears’ 11-1 victory in game two, while Babson freshman Michael Bortolotti and senior Andrew Aizenstadt pitched the Beavers to a 3-1 win in game one.

Bortolotti (4-0) was outstanding on the mound in the opener, allowing just one earned run on seven hits, walking one and striking out three in five-plus innings. Aizenstadt came out of the bullpen and added two scoreless innings for his first save of the season.

For Coast Guard, Massaro recorded a game-high three hits, while senior starter Jesse Karr pitched well, but took the loss (3-2) after allowing three runs on 10 hits, walking one and fanning four in 4 2/3 innings.

The Beavers scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the second, thanks to four doubles in the frame. Chris Warren led off with a double that was lost in the sun in center. Fellow rookie Brendan Collins then followed with his first career two-bagger to left to score Warren, and two batters later senior captain Dave Ahern laced his second double of the afternoon down the left field line, plating Collins with Babson’s second run of the inning. After a groundout moved Ahern to third, junior Billy Miller made it 3-0 with a two-out double off the base of the wall in right.

Coast Guard plated its only run of game one in the top of the fourth, beginning when sophomore Tyler Babkiewich was hit by a pitch with one out. Massaro, sophomore Nolan Gallagher, and sophomore Cameron Carroll then followed with three consecutive singles, with Carroll’s scoring Babkiewich from third with the Bears’ first run. However, Bortolotti induced a 5-4-3 double play to escape further damage.

Coast Guard threatened again in the sixth, but a base-running error helped Babson keep the visitors off the board. After back-to-back singles chased Bortolotti, Massaro drilled what looked like an RBI-double to right center. However, the lead runner held up at third, and the trailing runner was tagged out with both men on the bag. After issuing a walk to load the bases, Aizenstadt then started a 1-2-3 twin-killing – the Beavers’ third of the day – to preserve the lead and the eventual 3-1 Babson win.

Game two saw Coast Guard score three runs in each of the second and fifth innings to build a 6-1 lead midway through the ballgame. The third inning once again began with Babkiewich reaching on a hit-by-pitch and Massaro following with a single. With runners at the corners, a Babson throwing error allowed both runners to score as the visitors grabbed an early 2-0 lead. Gallagher then stole third and, two batters, later, came home on an infield single by freshman Dave Wolinski.

Babson scored its first run in the bottom of the fourth, as a two-out double to left center by sophomore Chris Kucker scored junior Travis Jonasson all the way from first. However, the Bears came right back with three more in the top of the fifth, as Babkiewich drove in sophomore Joe Petry with a bunt single and then scored along with junior Eddie Kalankiewicz on a two-run single by Massaro.

Massaro struck again in the top of the eighth, as Coast Guard put the game out of reach with five more runs. After Kalankiewicz plated sophomore Ed Sella with a sacrifice fly, Babkiewich was hit for the fourth time in the doubleheader to load the bases. Massaro then greeted senior reliever Austin Dadio with a bases-clearing triple to right center, giving the Bears a 10-1 lead. Gallaghen followed with an RBI single to left as Coast Guard finished off the eventual 1-11 victory.

Sophomore Derek Petty came on in the fifth and pitched two perfect innings to earn the victory in game two, improving his record to 2-3 on the season. He worked out of a bases loaded no out jam when he entered in the fifth. Petty, who struck out three of the six batters he faced, relieved sophomore starter Curt Barrett, who went four-plus and allowed one run on four hits, walked two and fanned a pair.

Senior Ben Barrett also pitched two scoreless innings of relief for Coast Guard, while sophomore Tyler Vieira struck out one in a 1-2-3 ninth.

Massaro went 3-for-4 with a triple, two runs, and five RBIs in game two, while Babkiewich went 2-for-2 with three runs and one driven in. Wolinski also recorded two hits for Coast Guard, while Kucher was the only player with two hits in the nightcap for Babson.

Junior Trevor MacNeill suffered his first loss in four decisions this season for the Beavers, going four innings and allowing four earned runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out five.

Men's Tennis

Four different Coast Guard players won both their singles and doubles matches leading the Bears to a 7-2 win over Babson in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) match.

Austin Dean (6-4, 6-4), Chris Hoffman (3-6, 6-4, 6-4), Josh Fischer (3-6, 6-3, 6-1) and Blake Maurer (6-1, 6-0) won at #3 through #6 singles respectively while Dean and Hoffman won at #2 doubles (8-3) and Fischer and Maurer won at #3 doubles (8-6) for the Bears.

Nick Martin got the other Coast Guard point with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 win at #2 singles.

Coast Guard is now 8-5 overall and 1-1 in conference play.