The baseball team dropped all four of its games this past week, including a three-game series against Holy Cross this past weekend and a late surrender of its lead against Manhattan College on Wednesday. In the latter matchup, senior infielder Michael Zarillo broke the college’s all-time home run record with a total of 23 after being previously tied with current head coach A.J. Miller ’11.
The Leopards (8-14 Patriot League, 13-33 overall) had mixed performances against conference leader Holy Cross (15-7 Patriot League, 25-21 overall) over the weekend.
Saturday’s doubleheader opened with a close 4-3 loss for the Maroon and White, who left runners on all bases to end the seventh inning.
The Crusaders opened up the game with three RBIs in the first inning, including a score on a throwing error by junior catcher Ethan Swidler and a home run. The Leopards responded with a home run of their own from freshman outfielder Jack Mislan — his sixth of the season — that also brought sophomore outfielder Teddy Cashman home.
Holy Cross got in another home run to widen the lead in the fourth inning, but a single from freshman infielder Alex Barrist sent Cashman to home base again to make it a one-run game. However, the Maroon and White could not etch out another score.
Game two remained close until the Crusaders put five runs on the scoreboard in the eighth inning for an 8-5 loss for the Leopards.
The matchup remained scoreless until the fourth inning, when both teams reached home. For the Maroon and White, senior outfielder Easton Brenner scored on a double from Zarillo.
A single from Brenner and a sacrifice fly from Barrist in the fifth, as well as another Barrist single in the following inning, gave the Leopards a 4-1 lead. But the Crusaders took the lead in the eighth after a series of hits and home runs that a score on an RBI groundout could not make up for.
Game three of the series on Sunday was all Holy Cross, with the Leopards losing 20-2.
The Leopards struggled with a dry spell until the sixth inning, thanks to a Brenner single — one of only three Leopard hits — that brought two teammates home. Meanwhile, Holy Cross rained down in the fourth and fifth innings, penciling in 10 on the scoreboard in the latter alone.
Following the weekend series, the Leopards dropped from first to third in conference batting average and remain last in pitching statistics. Brenner and Swilder still hold the second and third top batting averages, respectively, under first-place Holy Cross.
Wednesday was a close game until the eighth inning, when Manhattan pulled ahead to end it 5-3, sealing the season sweep for the Jaspers.
The Maroon and White opened with an RBI on a sacrifice fly from sophomore shortstop Matt Colella, which the Jaspers responded to in the following inning.
A double in the third and a home run in the sixth for the record from Zarillo brought the Leopards to a 3-1 lead before Manhattan scored on wild pitches to tie the game. The Leopards were unable to scratch back their lead, with their opponents pulling ahead in the eighth.
The Maroon and White will wrap up their regular season play in a three-game series against Bucknell University (8-14 Patriot League, 16-26 overall) this weekend.
Miller did not respond after initially agreeing to comment.
