RANDOLPH CENTER, Vt. – NHTI Baseball earned its first Yankee Small College Conference victory of the fall Wednesday afternoon, defeating Vermont State University Randolph, 9-5, in a game shortened to seven innings due to darkness at the VTSU Randolph Baseball Field.
Camden Morrill (Raymond, N.H.) highlighted the victory with his first career home run, finishing 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, and an RBI as the Lynx overcame a one-run deficit with five unanswered runs over the final two innings.
The victory improved NHTI to 2-6 overall and 1-5 in conference play, snapping a four-game losing streak in countable games. VTSU Randolph fell to 1-7 overall as the Lynx completed a two-game fall sweep of the Knights, having previously earned a 3-2 walk-off victory in a countable non-conference matchup Sept. 15.
NHTI opened the scoring immediately in the top of the first inning. Brenden Ringman (Chicopee, Mass.) led off with a double before Caden Jordan (Hooksett, N.H.) followed with an RBI double to center field. Two batters later, Sean Kilcoyne (North Andover, Mass.) delivered another RBI double to left, scoring Jordan and giving the Lynx a 2-0 advantage.
Kilcoyne, who also started on the mound for NHTI, held the Knights scoreless through the first three innings. VTSU Randolph broke through in the bottom of the fourth when Romeo Berrios doubled and scored on an RBI single from Barrett Snider, cutting the Lynx lead to 2-1.
Morrill restored NHTI's two-run advantage in the top of the fifth, leading off the inning with a solo home run to left field for the first of his collegiate career.
Ringman followed with a single and stole second before coming around to score later in the inning, extending NHTI's lead to 4-1.
The Knights responded with four runs in the bottom half of the fifth. Berrios delivered a two-run single to right field before Snider followed with another two-run single to center, giving VTSU Randolph its first lead of the afternoon at 5-4.
NHTI answered immediately in the sixth. Kade McBeath (Vidor, Texas) opened the inning with a walk before Morrill doubled to center, putting two runners in scoring position. Ringman then lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring McBeath and tying the game at 5-5.
Morrill scored on a wild pitch to put the Lynx back in front before Jordan added another double and eventually crossed the plate on a second wild pitch, extending the advantage to 7-5.
The Lynx added two insurance runs in the seventh. Dillon Depietro (Amherst, N.H.) drew a walk and stole second before Ringman also reached on a walk. Jordan followed with an RBI single to right field, scoring Depietro, while Ringman also came around to score on the play to extend the NHTI lead to 9-5.
Nash Cooper (Murphy, Texas) closed out the victory with two scoreless innings in relief, allowing just one hit and striking out three. Cooper entered in the sixth with two runners aboard and nobody out, helping NHTI escape the inning without allowing a run.
Kilcoyne finished with seven strikeouts across 4.1 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits. KJ Norman (Detroit, Mich.) also contributed two-thirds of an inning in relief without allowing a hit or run.
Offensively, Jordan led NHTI with three hits, including two doubles, two RBIs, and two runs scored. Ringman finished 2-for-3 with a double, three runs scored, an RBI, and a stolen base, while Morrill added two extra-base hits in the victory.
Kilcoyne also recorded two hits, including a double, and drove in a run. NHTI finished with nine hits, including five doubles and Morrill's home run.
For VTSU Randolph, Berrios finished 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs, while Snider added two hits and three RBIs.
The victory moves NHTI past VTSU Randolph into fifth place in the YSCC standings. In a tightly contested middle of the conference, the Lynx sit just one win behind third-place York County Community College and fourth-place Great Bay Community College.
UP NEXT
NHTI returns home this weekend for a three-game series against Kent State Tuscarawas at the NHTI Baseball Field. The Lynx will host a single seven-inning contest Saturday, Oct. 17, at noon before concluding their fall home slate with a doubleheader Sunday, Oct. 18, beginning at 11 a.m. Game two is set for 1 p.m.
All three games will be available to watch live on the YSCC Sports Network.
