Friday Wrap-Up: Baseball Trends Up, Volleyball Ends Regular Season on High Note
April 7, 2016
From the volleyball team’s regular season coming to an end to rainy weather altering the baseball and softball schedules, here’s what you’ve missed in the last two days of NYU sports.
Baseball (10-13)
The bats were on display for the Violets on Wednesday, as they made it look easy against St. Joseph’s College-Brooklyn with a 13-0 drubbing, their sixth win in seven games. NYU scored early and often, beginning with a first inning RBI single by sophomore infielder Jonathan Iaione. They tacked on three more in the second, propelled by four consecutive hits, finishing with a two-run single from sophomore infielder Ryan McLoughlin. Mclaughlin added another RBI to his stat sheet fourth with a double. Junior outfielder Adrian Spitz and sophomore shortstop Jake Smith added two more with back-to-back RBI singles to end the inning.
The Violets exploded once more in the fifth, helped by St. Joseph’s shaky pitching. After loading the bases, the floodgates opened, as the Violets tacked on five more runs with hits from Spitz, Smith, senior captain CJ Picerni, plus a bases loaded walk and hit batter.
Replacing sophomore captain Cameron Serapilio-Frank in the second inning after an injury, freshman Chad Johnstone (2-0) pitched five scoreless innings for the win. Nine Violets reached base, most notably Smith and McLaughlin, who combined for six RBIs.
After a difficult start to the season, the Violets are continuing a trend of second half resurgence from their first season. They’ll return to the diamond on Saturday against the College of Staten Island. Due to inclement weather, a previous scheduled game against SUNY New Paltz and a series against the University of Rochester have been cancelled. At the time of this publication, the games had not been rescheduled.
Softball (10-12)
Four games on the ladies’ schedule were washed away due to inclement weather. Their game on the road against Hunter College on Tuesday was postponed, but it has not yet been rescheduled. More stormy weather in the midwest cancelled a slate of games against Drew University, Case Western Reserve University and the University of Chicago. The Violets are next scheduled to play on Sunday, April 17 against Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Volleyball (14-13)
NYU made it two in a row in the final game of its regular season, overpowering Ramapo College 3-2 (27-25, 26-28, 22-25, 25-22, 15-11) in New Jersey on Tuesday. It was a tense battle throughout, with no set being decided by more than four points. However, led by senior opposite Phil Bueno’s 17 kills and junior setter Derrick Chiu’s 43 assists, the Violets did just enough to grab the win.
NYU gained an early advantage in the first set, though it wasn’t easy. Down 20-15, the Violets fought back, taking seven of the next nine points to tie it at 22. Two errors by Ramapo and a kill by sophomore middle hitter Chase Corbett put the Violets in the driver’s seat. But Ramapo answered, taking the next two sets to put the Violets in the hole. Desperate, a 10-6 deficit evaporated and the sets were knotted at two. In the 15-point fifth set, the Violets won six of the first eight points en route to the match-clinching win.
Senior captain Nick Benson trailed Bueno with 16 kills, while Corbett added nine of his own. Sophomore libero Benjamin Oxnard was the team’s best defender, finishing with 14 digs.
The Violets will now move to postseason play, beginning the UVC Championship tournament tonight against Vassar College in New Paltz, NY.
Email Michael Thompson at [email protected].