Baseball Trio Lands on CACC Baseball Weekly Report, Cattai Collects Rookie Award
New Haven, Conn. – (4/27/2016) – The Chestnut Hill College baseball team endured the most critical stretch of their schedule with a 5-2 record that included a win over #12 East Stroudsburg University and Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) sweeps of Nyack College and Concordia College (NY), before a twin bill split with currently league leader, Felician University. The performance placed three Griffins on the CACC Baseball Weekly Report with freshman pitcher Dino Cattai (Philadelphia, Pa.) earning the Rookie of the Week award while senior left fielder Brendan Looby (Sewell, N.J.) and sophomore pitcher Matthew Kress (Lansdale, Pa.) landed on the league’s weekly Honor Roll.
Back-to-back errors to lead off the 12th inning and set the table for Chestnut Hill College to survive 6-5 in the first game of Monday's CACC doubleheader at Provident Bank Park. Cattai kept the Warriors silent in the bottom of the ninth and through three extra frames for his second win (2-2) of the season. He allowed three hits and a walk. The second game ended on a one-run deficit as well, 2-1. The Griffins won that one too, relying on the arms of sophomore Patrick Kelley (Pipersville, Pa.) and junior Justin Harnett (Aberdeen, N.J.) to put away Nyack College after a pair of early-inning ground-out, runs-batted-in (RBI) from sophomore designated hitter Matthew Owens (Cherry Hill, N.J.) and junior right fielder Joseph Monaghan (Doylestown, Pa.).
Extending their winning streak to five games and doing so against top-level competition, the Chestnut Hill College baseball team scored eight runs in its first two at-bats to help them secure an eventual 10-6 victory over #12 East Stroudsburg University. Separating himself as the Griffins' hit king, Looby was 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and four runs-batted-in (RBI). Senior Casey Kern (Stony Point, N.Y.) earned his first win (1-0) of the season, settling down the Warriors with 3.2 innings of scoreless relief.
Still embattled in a tightly contested CACC playoff race, Chestnut Hill College welcomed Concordia College (NY) to Latshaw-McCarthy Field for Thursday’s league doubleheader. After four scoreless innings the opener got away from the Griffins, who took a 2-0 lead before a significant number of errors allowed the Clippers to reverse fortunes in a 14-4 final.
The second game saw its fair share of misplays on both as well, but this time the Scarlet and Gold offense showed up for a 10-5 victory. Senior catcher Robert Slagle III (Lafayette Hill, Pa.) highlighted the opener with a two-out triple in the first inning and a two-out fifth-inning single. Sophomore second baseman Alec Craig (Hammonton, N.J.) was the star of the nightcap with four runs-batted-in (RBI) on a pair of singles. Kress (3-3) and Cattai was the winning combination on the bump; the former struck out seven and held the Clippers to one earned run on six hits and three walks while the latter earned his fourth save (4) with two innings of scoreless relief. He struck out four.
After 18 innings of CACC play on Saturday, April 23, Chestnut Hill College and Felician University remained a game apart in the league standings. The Griffins came from behind to win the opener 6-4 before the Golden Falcon offense erupted for a dozen runs in a 12-2 final. Slagle served as the game-one hero for the Scarlet and Gold, connecting for a two-run double in a four run seventh inning. After some early trouble, senior Zachary Crim (Horsham, Pa.) figured in the no decision; he held the Golden Falcons to four runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out two. Cattai captured his fifth save, preserving the game-one victory with a perfect top of the ninth.
The Chestnut Hill College baseball team returns to action on Saturday, April 30, when they host Caldwell University in a 12:00 p.m. Senior Day, CACC doubleheader.
