William Paterson 15, Worcester State 4

Worcester State 5, William Paterson 5 (7 Innings)

Game 1 --- Box Score

Game 2 --- Box Score

Wayne, NJ --- William Paterson (1-0-1) began its 2010 baseball season with a 15-4 win and a 5-5 tie against visiting Worcester State (0-1-1) in a seven-inning doubleheader March 7 at Pioneer Baseball Park. The second game was halted due to darkness after the Pioneers tied the contest with a single run in the bottom of the seventh.

In the opening game, junior right hander Brett Carroll (River Edge, NJ) struck out eight in his Pioneer debut as William Paterson started the day with a 15-4 victory against the Lancers.

Senior right fielder Mike Guadango (Upper Saddle River, NJ) was 2-for-4 at the plate with a two-run homer, four RBI and three runs scored. Center fielder Andrue Laguerre (Jersey City, NJ) went 2-for-3 and drove in three runs and sophomore Vin Fondacaro (Pompton Plains, NJ) added a pair of hits and two RBI.

Guadango started the scoring when he drilled a two-run homer over the center-field fence in the bottom of the first, followed by a seven-run outburst in the second inning. Sophomore Jack Montanile (Weehawken, NJ) doubled in a run, senior Miguel Lugo (Jersey City, NJ) knocked in a pair with a single through the right side, Laguerre plated a runner with a base hit, Lugo trotted home on a fielder's choice, and Fondacaro hit a two-run single to hand the Pioneers an early 9-0 lead.

Worcester State got on the board with a senior TJ Magnell (Leominster, MA) three-run home run blast to left-center in the top of the third, but a Laguerre sacrifice fly added one more to the score, making it a 10-3 game after three innings.

Sophomore Jake Sanderski's (Milbury, MA) sac fly to right added a run for the Lancers in the fifth, but a Marc Palestina (Paramus, N.J./Paramus) two-run single helped the Pioneers post a five-run bottom of the fifth.

Carroll, a transfer from Oral Roberts, allowed seven hits and four runs in six innings on the mound, walking three. Sophomore Blake Crouch (River Edge, N.J./River Dell Regional) tossed the final inning in relief.

Magnell was 2-for-4 at the plate with three RBI for the Lancers, and junior Corey McDonald (Hudson, MA) added a pair of hits. Senior Joey Lucier (Brockton, MA) shouldered the loss in his season debut as he gave up nine runs on six hits in 1.2 innings.

In the second game sophomore Anthony Dorio (Lyndhurst, NJ) singled home the tying run in the bottom of the seventh in a 5-5 game halted due to darkness.

The Lancers struck first with a pair of runs during their first at-bat, as junior first baseman Nick Fluegge (Ware, MA) singled home Magnell and McDonald later scored on a fielder's choice. William Paterson cut the lead in the half during the bottom of the first after Lugo drew a leadoff walk, stole second and eventually scored after a fielder's choice and throwing error.

A McDonald sacrifice fly made it a 3-1 score in the top of the second, but the Pioneers loaded the bases to start the home half of the inning and Guadango delivered a two-out line drive back up the middle to knot the score at 3-3.

William Paterson took the lead with back-to-back third-inning doubles by Palestina and Montanile. However, Worcester State loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth, and McDonald drew a game-tying walk from reliever Steve Coral (Totowa, NJ).

After a groundout to start the home half of the seventh, Montanile reached and advanced to second after a dropped fly ball by the Worcester right fielder. Pinch hitter Frank Franco (Wayne, NJ) delivered a single up the middle that Montanile tried to score on, but Lancer junior center fielder Corey Abbascia (Shrewsbury, MA) made a terrific throw home and classmate Johno Hinkell (North Adams, MA) applied the tag for the second out of the inning.

Franco advanced to second on that throw and was lifted for pinch runner Jonattan Fernandez (Paterson, NJ), and following a walk issued to Fondacaro, Dorio flared a single into right field that was enough to plate Fernandez. With runners on the corners and two outs, Lugo was rung up on a called strike three on the outside corner of the plate, and play was then stopped due to the dwindling daylight.

Dorio was the only Pioneer with a multi-hit effort, going 2-for-4. Sophomore starter J.J. Moran (River Vale, NJ) pitched 4.2 innings (six hits, four runs, three earned, five strikeouts, six walks), while Coral allowed one unearned run in 1.1 innings. Freshman Jacob Baron (North Brunswick, NJ) gave up just one hit while tossing the final inning for the Pioneers.

Magnell again led Worcester State at the plate with a 2-for-3 effort, while McDonald drove in three runs. Senior Mike Borowiec (Spencer, MA) allowed four runs, three of them earned, on five hits in 3.0 innings, walking four Pioneers and striking out four, while junior southpaw Chad Kasik (Dudley, MA) gave up just one hit in 3.0 innings on the mound. Fourth-year closer Kevin Hayes (Medford, MA) threw the final inning and allowed two hits and one unearned run.

Release Courtesy of William Paterson Sports Information