CARTER TOSSES COMPLETE GAME AS SJU BASEBALL POUNDS FORDHAM, 11-1
Friday, March 29, 2013
Carter Tosses First Career Complete Game; O’Keefe Posts Four Hits, Three RBI
MERION STATION, Pa. – Junior righthander Jordan Carter (Collegeville, Pa./Methacton) tossed his first career complete game and sophomore catcher Brian O’Keefe was 4-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored as the Saint Joseph’s baseball team opened its weekend series with a convincing 11-1 win over Fordham at Smithson Field on Thursday.
Carter was outstanding from the get-go, allowing just two baserunners over the first four innings. He finished the day allowing just one unearned run on six hits and two walks while striking out a career-best eight.
Saint Joseph’s (11-13 overall, 3-1 Atlantic 10) staked Carter to an early lead, turning a pair of walks, a single by O’Keefe, and a sacrifice fly by Chris Hueth into a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
The Hawks added three more in the second as Kevin Kratochwill doubled in Anthony Cirillo before Stefan Kancylarz ripped his second home run of the season into the bullpen in right field to make it a 4-0 game.
Fordham (10-13 overall, 0-4 Atlantic 10) got one back in the top of the fifth on an RBI groundout by Samuel Careccia that scored Joseph Runco. Runco had led off the frame with a walk, moved over to second on a sacrifice bunt, and went to third on a throwing error on a stolen base attempt.
Greg Kumpel restored the four-run lead in the bottom of the inning, however, as his two-out single scored O’Keefe to make it a 5-1 game.
The Hawks blew things wide open in the seventh, sending 10 batters to the plate and scoring six runs to effectively put the game out of reach. Kancylarz and Mike Muha started the inning with consecutive singles before O’Keefe launched his first home run of the year over the fence in right to extend the lead to 8-1.
Hueth then singled to chase Fordham starter Joseph Charest from the game before Kumpel greeted reliever J.C. Porter with a double to left to put two on with nobody out. John Brue followed and ripped the first pitch down the first base line for a single to score both runners and push the margin to nine.
Brue eventually came in to score on a sacrifice fly by Kratochwill to set the final score at 11-1.
With the win, Carter improved to 2-1 on the year. Charest allowed nine runs, all earned, on 13 hits in six-plus innings to take the loss; he fell to 1-4.
O’Keefe led the way for the Hawk offense with his four-hit day. Cirillo went 3-for-4 with a run scored to raise his team-best batting average to .382, while Kancylarz and Kratochwill scored two runs apiece.
The teams return to Smithson Field on Friday at 3:00 p.m. Live stats and streaming audio will be available at SJUHawks.com.