McDaniel wins pair of one-run games

Green Terror sweeps Endicott to get fourth win on Florida trip

AUBURNDALE, Fla. – Sergio Nieto (Mameroneck, N.Y./Rye Neck) went 3-for-3 with three RBIs in the opener to lead McDaniel to a sweep of Endicott at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational in non-conference baseball action on Thursday.

The Green Terror (4-3) took the opener 4-3 on the power of Nieto’s three-run home run in the first inning before staving off a rally by the Gulls (3-4) in game two to win, 8-7.

Brandon Kline (Myersville, Md./Middletown) led off the bottom of the first in game one with a single before Andrew Worm (Easton, Md./Easton) was hit by a pitch to put two runners on.

A Russell Coover (Schuylkill Haven, Pa./Blue Mountain) fielder’s choice erased Worm before Nieto belted his third home run of the season for a 3-0 lead.

A Coover RBI double in the third plated Worm to stretch the lead to 4-0 before a sixth-inning rally from Endicott.

With one out, Chris Dominguez and Andrew Betts put together back-to-back singles before both scored on a Colin Sitarz double.

A Mike Russo single plated Sitarz before Danny Snight (Silver Spring, Md./St. John’s College), who went the distance for his second win of the year, got a strikeout – one of his six on the day – and flyout to get preserve the lead.

In the nightcap, the Green Terror once again struck quickly.

Three walks around a strikeout followed by a hit batsman gave McDaniel a 1-0 lead with the bases loaded.

Chris Longo (Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) followed with the Green Terror’s first grand slam since Coover went yard with the bases loaded at Swarthmore on Apr. 12, 2008.

A Patrick Christopher (Union Bridge, N.J./St. John Vianney) and Kline RBI single stretched the lead to 6-0 before the Gulls batted.

Kline was hit by a pitch in the third before stealing second and third and scoring on a passed ball to stretch the lead to 7-0.

A Raplh Fidaleo two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth cut the deficit to 7-2 but a Kline double in the fifth plated Christopher for an 8-2 edge.

A pair of errors in the fifth coupled with four hits and two sacrifice flies led to five unearned runs before Tyler Oakes (Oak Ridge, N.J./Jefferson Twp.) caught the 10th Endicott batter of the frame looking to preserve the lead.

Gio Fricchione (New Tripoli, Pa./Northwestern) sat down six of the seven batters he faced in the final two innings for his first save.

McDaniel concludes its seven-game Florida trip against UMass-Boston on Friday. Game time is 12:30 p.m.

Score by Inning – Game One            1            2            3            4            5            6            7            -            R            H            E
Endicott (3-3)            0            0            0            0            0            3            0            -            3            7            1
McDaniel (3-3)            3            0            1            0            0            0            x            -            4            7            1

Kevin Dupras and Chris Dominguez; Danny Snight and Ray Hart. WP: Snight (2-1). LP: Dupras. S: none. SO-BB: Dupras 2-1; Snight 6-0. 2B: Colin Sitarz (E). 3B: Sergio Nieto (M). HR: Sergio Nieto (M).

Score by Inning – Game Two            1            2            3            4            5            6            7            -            R            H            E
McDaniel (4-3)            6            0            1            0            1            0            0            -            8            6            2
Endicott (3-4)            0            0            0            2            5            0            0            -            7            11            3

Tyler Oakes, Gio Fricchione (6) and Chris Longo; Mike Griffin and Joe Klein. WP: Oakes (1-0). LP: Griffin. S: Fricchione (1). SO-BB: Oakes 3-1, Fricchione 2-0; Griffin 8-5. 2B: Brandon Kline (M), Patrick Christopher 2 (M). HR: Ralph Gidaleo (E). GS: Longo (M).

-30-