By Josie Emanuelli
The baseball team continued their strong start to the season with an impressive performance at their Florida Gulf Coast Spring Training, finishing the week with a 6-1 record, bringing them to 8-2 overall.
The Rangers began their spring training on a five-game winning streak, the longest the program has seen since 2013. The 7-1 start to the season is the best since 1998, when the program began their season 10-1-1. This streak was ended by Maritime College when the Rangers fell 4-9, ending their historic season opening. During this game, Paul Roth (’18) pitched for a scoreless 1.2 innings with two hits and a walk. Reliever Joshua Williams (‘19) threw his second straight scoreless inning out of the bullpen.
Their week spent in Florida was highlighted by strong pitching performances and Mike Miraglia (‘17), who earned his 100th career hit against Penn State Behrend. Miraglia’s hit came at an essential time for the Rangers, as it led to a game-tying single to aid the Rangers while they battled their way back from a 6-0 deficit.
The hit came at the top of the eighth and Drew was able to use the momentum to score again, securing victory in their final game in Florida, with a final score of 8-7.Tommy Broyles (‘17) picked up his first victory pitching in the Ranger’s sweep of Lebanon Valley College, serving as the relief pitcher in game two against the Dutchmen.
In his five innings of pitching, he allowed a single hit in the fourth inning and threw five strikeouts. To finish his time on the mound, Broyles retired the last 10 batters of the game, finishing off five innings of scoreless pitching.
Broyles finished his time in Florida strong, not allowing any runs throughout his 9.1 innings pitching this season.The Ranger’s skill on the mound was again highlighted in a 4-6 victory against Misericordia, the 2016 MAC Freedom champions and NCAA tournament qualifiers. In his third start of the season, Ryan Fitzpatrick (‘17) caused 11 batters to strike out in just 6.2 innings of pitching. During this time, he allowed only two hits, two walks and one earned run. This lowered his ERA to 2.16 over his three starts this season.
Patrick Boyle (‘17) returned to the mound after recovering from an injury earlier in the season. He was able to get three outs in his half inning of pitching, helping to prevent a comeback from Misericordia. The Ranger’s widest victory came against Kenyon College with a 12-2 victory.
Four different pitchers contributed to this victory, with Harry Cohen (‘17) making his collegiate debut. Jeff Serin (‘20) took over pitching, throwing 3.2 innings, allowing only two hits and a walk. He also threw four strikeouts during his time on the mound. Jendy Castillo (‘19) and Williams each stepped in for an inning, preventing any more runs to secure the victory.
Following this week’s snow storm, their conference opener against Elizabethtown College was postponed for a date to be announced. Their next conference game scheduled will be against Catholic University on March 25, which is a double header with another game on March 26. The Rangers will be back in action on Wednesday, March 22 at home as they face off against Ramapo College at 3:30 p.m. The following day they will travel to NJCU.
