William Paterson Sweeps Lancers in Doubleheader

William Paterson Sweeps Lancers in Doubleheader

William Paterson 5, Worcester State 4 

William Paterson 12, Worcester State 1

 

Game 1 --- Box Score

Game 2 --- Box Score

Wayne, NJ --- William Paterson junior all-American Mike Guadango (Upper Saddle River, NJ) went a combined 3-for-6 with five RBI, a triple and a home run as the Pioneers (2-0) opened their 2009 season with a seven-inning doubleheader sweep of visiting Worcester State (0-2). The Pioneers rallied for a 5-4 victory during the opening game and cruised to a 12-1 win during the nightcap.

The Lancers jumped out to a 2-0 lead during the first game thanks to solo homers by Nick Fluegge (Ware, MA) in the third inning and Nick Caparell (Attleboro, MA) in the fourth. The Pioneers cut that advantage in half during the bottom of the fourth when freshman Rob Somers (West Long Branch, NJ) plated John Elia (Emerson, NJ) with a sacrifice fly to left field.

Worcester State tacked on two fifth-inning runs, one trotting home on an error and another crossing the plate during a double play, for a 4-1 edge. However, that lead did not last long, as William Paterson exploded for four hits and four runs during the home half of the inning. A Vin Ganz (Waterbury, CT) walk, an Andrue Laguerre (Jersey City, NJ) hit by pitch and a Will Courter (Roseland, NJ) single loaded the bases for Guadango, who blasted a full-count pitch to the base of the wall in center field, clearing the bases with a triple and tying the score at 4-4. Elia then promptly singled home Guadango, giving WP its first lead of the day.

Courter and Elia each had two hits for the Pioneers, while Guadango was 1-for-2 with the three-run triple. Senior Dan VandeVrede (Lincoln Park, NJ) picked up the victory with 5.1 innings of seven-hit, four-run ball. Freshman J.J. Moran (River Vale, NJ) earned his first career save with 1.2 innings of shutout relief, striking out two while allowing just one hit.

Ryan LaPrade (Leominster, MA), Fluegge and Caparell each had two hits for Worcester State.  Craig McBride (Attleboro, MA), relived starter Joey Lucier (Brockton, MA), and suffered the loss out of the bullpen, after he allowed four runs to cross the plate in the fifth.

Already ahead 4-1, the Pioneers blew open the second game of the day with an eight-run fourth inning en route to a 12-1 victory.

The Pioneers’ Derek Koppinger (Columbia, NJ) smacked a two-run double in the second inning, and freshman Anthony Dorio (Lyndhurst, NJ) drove in two more with a third-inning single to center field, for a quick 4-0 score.

Caparell got the Lancers on the scoreboard with his RBI-single during the top of the fourth inning, but William Paterson put the game out of reach with its eight runs in the bottom of the frame. Courter drove in two runs with a triple, Guadango plated two more with a towering home run to right-center field, and freshman J.D. Melendez (Aberdeen, NJ) had a two-RBI single to lead the outburst.

Elia was 2-for-2 with a double and two runs scored, Melendez was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI, and Courter and Guadango each were 2-for-4 with two RBI. Junior Scott Zirul (Cedar Grove, NJ) scattered four hits over five innings for the win (1-0), while sophomore Ryan Steidl (Randolph, NJ) looked sharp, striking out two of the three hitters he faced in an inning of relief. Freshman John Savoie (Hawthorne, NJ) gave up a seventh-inning single in his first collegiate action.

Caparell had two of the Lancers’ five hits, and starter Bob DeVito (Webster, MA) was tagged with the loss (0-1) after giving up five hits and four runs in 3.0 innings on the mound.

Worcester State will play Rowan on Saturday, March 14 at 3 o'clock in Winter Haven, Florida in the Russmat Invitational. WSC will play ten games in an eight day span.

 

Release Courtesy of William Paterson Sports Information