Flemington, NJ (February 23, 2025) - The DeSales University baseball team opened its 2025 campaign winning both ends of a non-conference doubleheader sweeping SUNY New Paltz, 7-6 and 17-0, on Sunday afternoon at Diamond Nation. 

Game One (W/7-6)
The Bulldogs would strike first in this one in the bottom of the first inning off an RBI groundout by graduate student Travis Kerr that scored first-year student Jacob Rivera. Later in the inning, senior Owen Fischl would hit an RBI double to center field that would bring in sophomore Eric Wert to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead after one. The score stood at 2-0 until the fourth inning when the Hawks cut the lead in half on a solo home run. 

Senior Colin Houck provided DSU with some insurance in the fifth inning with a two-run home run that scored graduate student catcher Gavin Zavorski to put the Bulldogs up 4-1 after five innings. DSU added another run in the sixth inning when junior John Rorick joined the home run parade with a solo homer of his own to push the lead up to 5-1. 

The Hawks rallied back to tie the game in the seventh inning with four runs on three hits that included a two-run home run, an RBI groundout, and an RBI hit by pitch. DSU would answer in the bottom half of the frame as a sac fly from first-year student Matt DeStaso would bring home sophomore Jeremy Stranix to give the Bulldogs the lead back at 6-5. In the next half inning New Paltz tied the game back up at 6-6 on a solo homer, but in the bottom of the eighth a balk by the Hawks pitcher would score Rorick as the go-ahead run that stood. 

Senior Ashton Johnson pitching six innings allowing just three hits and one run while striking out three.

Senior Frank Parrotti pitched two innings in relief allowing just one run on one hit while striking out two and earned the first win of the new campaign. 

Game Two (W/17-10)
Trailing 3-0, DSU scored two times in the third and once in the fourth to tie the game up at three, including an RBI triple by Houck and added two more runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to take a 7-4 lead. Houck had an RBI walk and Matt DeStaso had an RBI hit by pitch in the fifth inning for the two runs in the fifth, while Kerr and Zavorski each had RBI singles in the sixth innings for the two runs scored.

The Bulldogs offensive clinic would continue in the seventh inning as DSU tacked on six more runs to push the lead up to 13-4. Rivera had an RBI single, Kerr had a two-RBI double, and Fischl had an RBI groundout as part of the six-run seventh. New Paltz rallied back with six runs of their own in the bottom of the seventh, but DeSales broke it open with four more runs in the top of the ninth to post the final score.

Kerr finished 4-for-5 with three runs scored and three RBIs, Zavorski finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBIs, Houck finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and Rivera had one hit with four runs scored and two RBIs. Stranix in his only at-bat of the game hit a two-run home run. 

Junior Mike Hooker pitched four innings scattering five hits and allowing four runs while striking out three.

First-year Joe Ficoturo earned the win out of the pen pitching 2 1/3 innings scattering three hits and three runs. 

First-year Kevin Eden tallied the save as he was solid in relief pitching 2 1/3 scoreless innings and striking out two. 

DSU is back at it on Friday when they travel to Franklin and Marshall College with first pitch set for 1:00 pm.