Coast Guard Posts Baseball, Softball Wins

Baseball: Coast Guard 5, Thiel 3

Sophomore Riley Beecher pitched a complete game scattering five hits and allowing a pair of earned runs as Coast Guard beat Thiel College 5-3 in the season opener for both teams at the Gene Cusic Classic on Saturday in Fort Myers, Fla.

Beecher, who got even stronger in the later innings, retired the final 11 hitters of the game in order. He allowed just four singles and a double and did not walk a batter while striking out three to give the Bears a season opening win for the first time since 2007.

Senior Graham Sherman’s two out, two-run double broke a 3-3 tie in the sixth and was the difference. Sherman also had an RBI single in the fourth which broke a 2-2 tie.

Sophomore Tyler Babkiewich reached base all four times at bat as he was 2 for 2 with two singles, a walk and he was hit by a pitch. Babkiewich also scored three runs and drove in a run.

Sophomore Eric Gerken’s fielder’s choice RBI in the first got the Bears on the board before Babkiewich’s RBI single in the second pushed the lead to 2-0.

Thiel tied it in the third on a two-run single by Brock Porter before Sherman’s RBI single gave the Bears 3-2 lead in the fourth.

The Tomcats tied the game in the fifth on an RBI double by Eric King.

Junior Mike Salerno, sophomore Mike Massaro and freshman Dave Wolinski each added a hit for the Bears. Wolinski doubled in his first collegiate at bat to lead off the second.

Baseball: Merchant Marine 8, Coast Guard 7; Merchant Marine 6, Coast Guard 1

On Sunday, Merchant Marine rallied from a three-run deficit with four runs in the sixth on just one hit in the opener and Dustin Thomsen pitched a complete in the nightcap to lead the Mariners to a doubleheader sweep of Coast Guard at the Gene Cusic Classic. Merchant Marine won the opener 8-7 before posting a 6-1 win in game two.

In the opener, Coast Guard built a 5-3 lead through five with sophomore Riley Beecher highlighting a three-run fifth with a two-run double and a steal of home.

The Bears added two insurance runs in the top of the sixth of the seven inning game on a bases loaded walk by Beecher before sophomore Eric Gerken was hit by a pitch with the bases full for a 7-4 lead.

The Mariners scored four times in the sixth on just one hit as they took advantage of three walks, a hit batter and a fielder’s choice to tie the game before taking the lead on a steal of home as part of a double steal.

Senior Graham Sherman, Gerken and sophomore Nolan Gallagher each had two hits in game one for Coast Guard.

Senior Jesse Karr started and went four innings allowing six hits and three runs while walking three and fanning two. Sophomore Tyler Vieira took the loss in relief allowing the final two runs in the sixth.

In game two, Thomsen allowed just five hits, an earned run while walking three and striking out seven to pick up the complete game victory.

Sophomore Derek Petty allowed six runs, five earned in five innings and took the loss for the Bears.

Sophomore Mike Massaro had two of Coast Guard’s five hits including a triple in the fifth, the Bears only extra base hit of the game.

Coast Guard drops to 1-2 while the Mariners open their season at 2-0. The teams will play again on Monday at 4 p.m.

Softball: Coast Guard 2, Mount Union 0; Coast Guard 8, Wesley 0

Junior All-American Hayley Feindel and freshman Alex Rennie combined for a no-hitter after Feindel fired a one-hit shutout in the opener as Coast Guard, ranked 16th nationally, opened the season with a pair of wins Sunday at the Rebel Games in Kissimee, Fla.

In the opener, Feindel fired a one-hitter and struck out 14 to pick up the win in a 2-0 win over the University of Mount Union.

Freshman Devin Fellman’s RBI ground out in the third which scored junior Maddie Buchert was all the Bears would need.

The Bears added an insurance run in the 7th staging a two out rally as sophomore Megan Cook reached base on a walk and freshman Kaitlin Ward entered as a pinch runner and later scored on sophomore Summer Dupler's two out misplayed bunt giving the Bears a two-run lead.

In the second game of the day, Feindel and Rennie combined to no hit Wesley College of Delaware in a 8-0 game stopped in the fifth inning due to the eight-run rule.

Feindel fanned five more in four innings to pickup the win while sophomore Stacia Sarwinski, Fellman and Ward each scored a pair of runs for the Bears.

Sophomore Megan Cook drove in three runs while Fellman had three stolen bases in the win.

Men's Indoor Track

Senior Carl Luxhoj was the top Coast Guard finisher as he placed third in the triple jump with a jump of 47 feet, 3.75 inches at the ECAC Championships at New York University.

Adam Scalesse ran a personal best time of 7.76 in the 55 hurdles to make the finals where he ran a 7.83 to place sixth overall.

Luxhoj and Scalesse earn All-ECAC honors with their top six finishes.

Also for the Bears, John Jaskot placed eight in the high jump as he cleared six feet, 2.75 inches while Jordan Kellam was 15th in the pole vault (14 feet, 5.5 inches).

The Bears placed 29th of the 51 teams.