Hamilton College split a doubleheader with Middlebury College on the second day of a New England Small College Athletic Conference West Division weekend series at Hamilton’s Royce Field on April 24.
The Continentals (8-22 overall, 1-11 NESCAC West) picked up their first NESCAC West Division win of the season in Game 1 by an 11-7 count. Middlebury (8-13, 4-5) came out with a 20-8 win in Game 2.
Max Foster ’10 started, pitched 5.1 innings and earned the win in the seven-inning opener. Foster (2-3) allowed three runs on three hits, walked seven and struck out two. Kevin Prindle ’13 came on in relief in the sixth and allowed three earned runs on four hits in 1.1 innings. Alex Augustyn ‘10 wrapped up the victory with a strikeout for the final out.
Four Continentals hit home runs in Game 1. Joe Buicko ’11 hit his second of the season. Augustyn recorded one home run -- his first of three in the doubleheader -- a single and two RBI. Grady Vigneau ’10 hit a grand slam for his third homer of the year. Sam Choate ’12 hit his first and second home runs of the year and recorded four RBI. Max Currier ‘10, Wes Mayberry ‘11 and Dan Peters ’13 hit one double each.
Hamilton scored seven runs in the bottom of the third to grab a 7-0 lead. Currier led off the inning with a double and went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Buicko. Currier scored on Augustyn's single. Mayberry then doubled and Prindle walked to load the bases. Vigneau’s grand slam gave the Continentals a 5-0 lead. Peters followed with a double and Choate lofted a homer to left to end the scoring in the third.
In the fifth, Choate hit his second home run, which plated two more runs for a 9-0 lead. Middlebury scored three runs in the top of the sixth, but Hamilton answered with back-to-back home runs by Buicko and Augustyn in the bottom of the inning. It was Augustyn’s first home run of the season. The Panthers scored four more runs before Hamilton could get the final out in the top of the seventh.
Eli McCargar ’10 started Game 2 for Hamilton and took the loss. McCargar (1-2) pitched 2.2 innings, allowed seven runs on eight hits and struck out one. Stephen Wright ‘12, Dan Kroening '11, Nzaba Fonseca-Sabune '12, Currier and Alex Potoczak '13 all pitched in relief.
Augustyn continued to lead the Continentals' offense in Game 2. He hit two more home runs and drove in three runs. Jeremy Brenner ‘10 hit his first career double and ended up with three hits and three RBI. Pat Gennaco ‘11 hit his first double of the year and added one single. Buicko had one single and one RBI. Mayberry recorded one double.
The Panthers jumped out to a 7-0 lead with one run in the second and six -- including a three-run homer -- in the third. The Continentals scored their first run in the bottom of the third, when Augustyn hit his second homer of the day. Middlebury hit a two-run home run in the fourth to lead 9-1. A single by Brenner scored two runs for the Continentals in the bottom of the inning.
Middlebury tacked on three more runs in the fifth to lead 12-3. Hamilton scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth, but Middlebury continued to stretch its lead with six runs in the seventh. Augustyn hit a two-run homer -- his second of the game and third of the afternoon -- over the right field fence in the eighth. The Panthers added two runs in the top of the ninth for the final margin.
Hamilton travels to play a non-conference game against nationally ranked SUNY Cortland on Wednesday, April 28.
