Philadelphia, PA – (4/14/2010) – A five-run Chestnut Hill College fourth inning carried freshman pitcher Andrew Lawrence (Woodstown, NJ) to his first collegiate win and powered the Griffins to an 8-5, non-conference, win over Philadelphia University this afternoon. Sophomores Jesse Daywalt (Phoenixville, PA) and Eric Blood (Perkasie, PA) combined to knock in five runs on four hits.
With two down in the top of the fourth inning, the Chestnut Hill College (11-13) offense came to life erasing the Rams' early 1-0 lead. Philadelphia University (8-13) scored on a sacrifice fly in the first inning and they held that lead until the Griffins' fourth at-bat of the contest. Junior shortstop George Kochu (Pottstown, PA) drew a two-out walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch before junior first baseman Mike Knipe (Sellersville, PA) placed a ball to right field for a run-scoring triple, 1-1. Freshman catcher Timothy DiMonte (Downingtown, PA) followed with a double to plate Knipe, 2-1; and following an error by the Ram shortstop, two Griffin singles brought home three more runners to put Chestnut Hill College up 5-1. Kochu singled in a run in the sixth inning to make it 6-1 Griffins, but the Rams matched that in the bottom of the frame to keep the game within range, 6-2. A single from Blood in the Griffin seventh inning made it 7-2, but the Rams would not go quietly. Singles from sophomore left fielder Brian Clark (Lakewood, CO) and senior second baseman Joe DiMezza (North Wales, PA) narrowed the deficit to 7-4 and brought junior pitcher Matt Casino (Port Chester, NY) into the fray. He held the Rams to one run over their final four outs to close the contest for his fifth save of the season. Lawrence collected the win (1-2). He allowed two runs on two hits and five walks while striking out three over five innings. DiMonte led the line-up with three hits.
The baseball team will resume their Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) schedule when they host Felician College in a 12:00 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, April 17.
