PSU Baseball Wins Four, Drops Six in Fort Myers

The Plymouth State baseball team took a trip down to sunny Fort Myers, Florida over the University’s Spring Break to play a series of four double-headers against teams from both New England and the Midwest. The team was led by sophomore sensation Curtis Arsenault (Berlin, NH), who went 2-0 on the mound, pitching 13 innings and complimenting his 1.38 ERA with 12 strikeouts.

Arsenault pitched in the first of two games against St. Lawrence, hurling six innings and giving up two unearned runs on five strikeouts and a pair of walks. Newcomer Dallas DeFrancesco (Meriden, Conn.) picked up his first save of the year, facing six batters and giving up two runs on two hits. The offense was on fire, scoring nine runs through three innings and scoring 13 total runs on 11 hits. Junior Paul Reny (South Portland, ME) had a career game, batting in five runs and stroking a pair of triples to compliment his three-hit day. Game two was a bit different, however, as the Panthers were only able to collect four singles through seven innings, but still managed to score five runs in the seventh without putting the bat on the ball. The Panther bullpen was exercised after senior Cody Gilchrist (Tyngsboro, Mass.) was unable to get out of the third inning; Gilchrist gave up four earned runs (six unearned) on nine hits. Junior Zach Perry (Lincoln, R.I.) pitched 1/3 on an inning, giving up four earned (one unearned) on four walks and a pair of hits. Robbie Greenleaf (Lee, NH) pitched the fifth and sixth, giving up three unearned runs on five hits and a walk, and freshman Steven Knox (Attleboro, Mass) gave up one earned on a pair of hits and a walk.

The Panthers dropped their next four (two against Skidmore, two against Edgewood). The team gave up 33 runs through the losing streak, an average of just under 8.5 per game, while only averaging 2.5 runs per game.

The team didn’t get its second win until Arsenault’s turn in the rotation came back around on day four, going the distance for the Panthers in a 4-3 victory over Wisconsin-Platteville. The sophomore gave up only three hits and two walks, while striking out seven and giving up two earned. PSU was down 3-0 until the sixth inning, when Reny doubled scoring two. Senior Dave Hall (Groton, Conn.) followed up with another double, scoring Reny from second. Jake Broom led all hitters with two hits, including an RBI walk-off single in the bottom of the 7^th that scored freshman pinch runner Peter Esposito (Cranston, R.I.).

In the second game of the Platteville double-header, the offense picked it up tremendously from their past five games, putting up nine runs behind a great outing from Cody Gilchrist on the mound. Improving his record to an even 1-1, the senior gave up three hits, zero walks and zero runs, going the distance, and was perfect through four before giving up a single. Sophomore Jarek Krajewski (Cranston, R.I.) led the offense for the Panthers, recording two doubles and three RBI’s. Freshman Cam Ruziak (Sterling, Mass) went 1-4 with a double, and senior Brian Thompson (Southington, Conn.) had the only triple of the day, collecting two RBI with the hit.

The Panthers finished off their trip with a split double-header against Bethel, losing the first game 9-1 but bouncing back to win game two, 5-3. Senior Josh Young (Somersworth, NH) recorded his second lost, giving up nine earned runs on 13 hits and a walk. Perry pitched the fifth, and Greenleaf pitched the sixth, neither one giving up a hit. The Panthers recorded a mere four hits and scored their only run on a wild pitch. In game two, the team gave up three runs on a strong effort from the newcomers on the mound; junior Matt Doxter (Somersworth, NH) got his first win of the season, giving up all three runs in five innings on six hits and five walks. Freshman Ryan Perro (Glen Head, NY) recorded his first save of the year, giving up three hits and two walks but holding Bethel from reaching the plate. Offensively, junior Mike LaFlamme (Bedford, NH) went 2-4 from the plate, scoring twice. Both Ruziak and Thompson gave the Panthers an RBI apiece, and junior Justin Walsh (Goffstown, NH) hit an RBI double that sparked a four run first, and LaFlamme scored unassisted in the second after a single, a stolen base, and an error.

Plymouth State finished 4-6 overall in Fort Myers, and although they’re still below .500, showed great improvement for their first time outside since October. Three players have averages over .300 through ten games; Paul Reny (.367), Dave Hall (.385) Jake Broom (.333). The big problem so far is on the defensive end; the team’s given up an average of 6.7 runs per game on 14 errors and a cumulative average ERA of 6.62.

PSU baseball resumes it schedule this Saturday in Eastern Connecticut, as they look to find a pair of wins in their first conference double-header; first pitch scheduled for noon.