Courtesy: Johnson & Wales Sports Information

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Johnson & Wales baseball squad split a non-conference double header against Castleton at Pierce Field on Sunday afternoon.  JWU posted a 6-4 win in the opener with Castleton taking the 6-4 victory in the nightcap.

In the opener, Johnson & Wales took the lead in the bottom of the first when senior Nick Alosco (Mahopac, N.Y.) led off with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by fellow senior Matt Yaeger (Glendale, Ariz.).  The Wildcats added another run in the frame on an RBI single by sophomore Pete Rosa (Ambler, Pa.).  In the top of the second, Castleton would get on the board and took the lead as they pushed across three runs, including a two-run single by junior Shawn Kennedy (Schenectady, N.Y.) for the 3-2 advantage.  

JWU responded in the bottom of the third as senior Mike Murphy (Pawtucket, R.I.) and junior Joe Coppola (Ridgewood, N.J.) drew back-to-back walks with the bases loaded to put the Wildcats up 4-3.  JWU added two more in the inning on an RBI single by Alosco and a run scoring groundout by Yaeger to take the 6-3 lead. 

The visiting Spartans chipped away at the lead in the top of the fourth as an RBI single by Kennedy made the score 6-4.  That would be all the scoring for the game, however as JWU took the 6-4 victory.  Alosco was 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI in the win for JWU while Kennedy went 2-for-3 with a run and three RBI in the setback for Castleton. 

Senior Jason Tsangarides (Meriden, Conn.) recorded the complete-game victory for the Wildcats, allowing four runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts in seven innings of work.

The nightcap saw JWU take the early 1-0 lead as they capitalized on a Castleton miscue in the bottom of the first.  The visiting Spartans knotted the game at 1-1 in the top of the third as they scored an unearned run of their own. The Wildcats regained the lead in the bottom of the third with two more unearned runs, including an RBI single by sophomore Zach Boyes (West Warwick, R.I.) to take the 3-1 lead.  

JWU extended their lead in the bottom of the fourth when Murphy belted his first home run of the season to put the team up 4-1. In the top of the sixth, Castleton exploded for five runs, including a two run single by sophomore Ryan Zielinski (Schenectady, N.Y.) and a two-run double by senior Aaron Zrenda (East Lyme, Conn.) en route to the 6-4 victory. Boyes was 2-for 4 with a run scored and an RBI in the setback for JWU.  

Junior David Brandt (Contoocook, N.H.) was 3-for-4 with two runs scored for Castleton while junior Brandon Fay (South Burlington, Vt.) notched the complete-game win for the Spartans, allowing one earned run on five hits with eight strikeouts in seven innings.

With the split JWU is now 7-9 overall while Castleton is 2-11 for the season. The Wildcats will return to action on Wednesday, March 30th when they travel to Mitchell for a non-conference contest, starting at 3:00 p.m.