Northfield, VT - The Vermont State University Lyndon baseball team fell to the Norwich University Cadets in a non-conference game by a score of 16-8 on Wednesday afternoon. The Hornets fell to 6-12 on the season while the Cadets improved to 7-10.
James Campbell was the starting pitcher for Norwich in this game, and he started by putting up a zero to close the top of the first inning. Senior Jacob Wechselblatt (Reston, VA) was the starting pitcher for the Hornets. Alex Detomasis led off the inning with a walk. A pair of singles from John O' Connor and Ryan Miller would load the bases with one out. Detomasis scored on a wild pitch, then O' Connor also scored on a sacrifice fly by Trevor Lussier. After the sac fly, the Cadets left a man stranded on third and would end the bottom of the first inning with a 2-0 lead.
Campbell had a strong second inning, striking out the two first Lyndon hitters and then ending it with a ground out to shortstop. Wechselblatt also started off strong the bottom of the second, but would hit Kevin Ohlsen and that would start a two-out rally. Ohlsen got to third on a single by Detomasis and would score from another single by Eli Oliver to make the score 3-0. Detomasis and Oliver ended up advancing to second and third with two outs, but Wechselblatt ended up getting out of trouble by striking out O' Connor.
The top of third was initiated with a single by junior third baseman EJ Camden (Corona, CA). Senior middle infielder Dale Ostermann (Harrington, DE) hit a double to left center and that would put runners on second and third with no one out. Sophomore outfielder Evan Duncan (Little Elm, TX) hit a single to center field to bring in Camden and cut the Norwich lead to 3-1. Duncan stole second and Ostermann ended up scoring on a throwing error to second base. That would bring the Hornets within one run. Freshman right fielder Bryan Nazario (Little Elm, TX) singled to center to score Duncan and tie the game. The Hornets continued to hit when freshman shortstop Eyon Tembreull (Vergennes, VT) singled to right center. Nazario advanced to third on the play. Lyndon loaded the bases following a walk from junior catcher Matt Gonyeau (Saint Albans, VT). Junior first baseman Ryan Alt (Poultney, VT) hit a single to left field to bring in Nazario and give the Hornets a 4-3 lead. Senior outfielder Will Perkins (Holtwood, PA) hit a fly ball to center field for a potential RBI, but the Cadets turned it into a double play to keep the score 4-3. The Hornets ended up loading the bases when senior designated hitter Alberto Bustamante (Northridge, CA) was hit by a pitch, ending Campbell's day. Carson Rath relieved Campbell, but Camden greeted him with a single to center to bring in Gonyeau and Alt and make the score 6-3. Those would be the last two runs the Hornets scored on that inning. Freshman Tyler Kimball (Vergennes, VT) came in to relieve Wechselblatt, who finished with two innings pitched, three runs, one walk, and two strikeouts. Kimball put up a zero in the bottom of the third inning with two strikeouts in his only inning pitched.
Top of the fourth came and Rath put up a zero striking out two Hornets. Freshman Adam Guenther (Southington, CT) came to relieve Kimball and he struck out his first batter. Detomasis got the Cadets going with a single and Guenther would hit Oliver to put two runners on base. Both runners ended up advancing on a wild pitch and O'Connor walked to loaded the bases with one out. Guenther hit another batter and that brought Detomasis in to make the score 6-4, Hornets. Oliver later scored on walk by Lussier, cutting the lead to 6-5, and that was the end of Guenther. Junior Keegan Stephenson (Lander, WY) came in to relieve to try to get the Hornets out a jam. O' Connor scored on a passed ball to tie the game and the Cadets would load the bases again with a one out walk. Stephenson got a huge strikeout and the Hornets were one out away from escaping a bases loaded jam. Jakob Hayes hit a clutch double to left center to empty the bases and put Norwich back up 9-6. Stephenson then got the last out of the inning via a strikeout.
At the top of fifth, the Hornets were unable to get anything going, same as the Cadets at the bottom of the inning. Camden got Lyndon started iin the sixth with a one out single that was followed by another single from Ostermann. Norwich would get a huge a strikeout, but the Hornets got a run back by a single from Nazario to make the score 9-7.
Junior John Kuhn (Cape Coral, FL) relieved Stephenson at the bottom of the sixth inning. Miller started the inning for the Cadets with a walk and a stolen base. Kuhn struck out his second batter to get the first out. Baker Stewart hit a single up the middle to bring in Miller and make it 10-7. Stewart stole third and Kuhn walked his last batter. Senior Joey Hanlon (Trinity, FL) came in to pitch. Stewart ended up scoring on a wild pitch to make it 11-7. The Cadets had the bases loaded with a pair of walks and Hayes ended up scoring on a walk by Oliver to increase the led to 12-7. Senior pitcher Dylan Crump (Falls Village, CT) came up to pitch with the bases loaded. O'Connor greeted Crump a grand slam increase the Cadet lead to 16-7. Those would be the last runs the Cadets scored on the game.
At the top of the eighth inning, Bustamante walked for the Hornets. Senior Kearson Grisham (Choctaw, MS) ran for Bustamante and scored on a double from Ostermann to left center to cut the Norwich lead to 16-8. That would turn out to be the last run of the game.
Carson Rath got the win for Norwich and is now 1-2 on the season. He pitched 4.1 innings, had six strikeouts, no walks, and four allowed hits. Guenther got the loss and is now 0-2 on the season.
Camden went 3-4 with two runs batted in and two runs scored. He was followed by Ostermann who also went 3-4 with two doubles, one run batted in, and one run scored.
The Hornets will play in Lexington, MA this weekend against Lesley University in a big conference series. First pitch on Saturday is scheduled for 1:00 pm.
