PHILADELPHIA – The baseball team moved their record to 5-13 overall and 1-1 in CACC play Saturday afternoon, as they earned a split of their first CACC doubleheader of the season against Chestnut Hill College.
The Deacons staked southpaw Sean Stimpfel to a 2-0 lead midway through game one, as Emilio Fernandez plated Anderson Minyetty with an RBI double to get the Deacons on the board. Alberto Ruiz followed three batters later with a run-scoring single of his own, putting Bloomfield up a pair.
But the Griffins would counter with a run in the bottom of the frame, and a four-run Chestnut Hill sixth inning put the home team up 5-2. The lone crooked number on the scoreboard proved to be the difference, as the Griffins closed out the opener and left the Deacons fighting for a split after a three-run setback.
Minyetty continued the outstanding start to his 2011 campaign with a 2-4 day at the plate, including a double and a pair of stolen bases. Fernandez notched his first three-hit game of the season, going 3-4 with an RBI.
It would prove to be a daunting task to even the day's action, as junior righty Brad Smith yielded three runs in the bottom of the first to put Bloomfield down 3-0 in game two. Smith was relieved by junior lefty Eric Kamp in the bottom of the second, and the southpaw quickly stifled the Griffins offense and allowed the Deacons to remain within striking distance. Kamp posted his second consecutive brilliant outing, tossing seven scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and striking out four.
The Bloomfield offense was able to break through in the late innings, notching four runs in the final three innings of the contest to take a 4-3 lead. Ruiz singled in Rafael Medina to cut the deficit to 3-1, and an RBI groundout by Joe Meola moved the Deacons to within a run.
After the Griffins went quietly in the bottom of the seventh, Fernandez and Medina reached base to start a Bloomfield rally in the top of the eighth. Fernandez scored on a fielder's choice to tie the score at three, and Edgardo Fernandez followed two innings later with a chance to give Bloomfield its first lead of the tilt. The junior second baseman laced a double down the left field line, plating Medina and putting the Deacons up 4-3 in dramatic fashion.
It would be a lead the visitors would not relinquish, as Kamp worked out of an eighth-inning jam to preserve the slim advantage. Senior righty Steve Godowski came on to work a one-two-three ninth, earning Bloomfield the split in its first conference series of the young season in come-from-behind fashion.
Medina and Ruiz finished with a pair of hits each in the victory, while Kamp moved to 2-1 on the season with the win. Godowski notched his first save of the season, while Meola and Mike Monaco added a hit apiece in the triumph.
“It's great to get a split on the road in conference, but I think we learned some important lessons today,” Bloomfield head coach Jeff Watson said. “We played mistake-free baseball in the second game, and we won the ballgame. If we limit our mistakes, we are a tough team to beat. We came from behind to get that victory, and that's a great thing to see. It says a lot about the type of guys we have on this team. Hopefully this is something we can build on as we get our conference schedule underway.”
Bloomfield returns to action Sunday, March 20 with a non-conference road doubleheader against American International College. First pitch for the opener is set for Noon.
