Cadets Split With Rivier, Earn First Win

NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Norwich University baseball team split a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) doubleheader on Monday at Garrity Field, capturing its first win of the season in the process. The Cadets (1-25, 1-12 GNAC) dropped a 6-2 decision in Game One before taking the nightcap, 4-3. Rivier (4-23, 3-11 GNAC) rode the arm and bat of Kevin Weaver to victory in the opener. The junior went all seven innings on the mound and supplied the decisive blow at the plate when he hit a first-inning grand slam over the left-field fence.

Weaver (2-4) finished the game allowing six hits and one earned run, while striking out two and walking one.

J.J. Montello added a 2-for-3 three effort for RC, including a two-out two-RBI single to cap off a six-run visiting half of the first.

After letting up six runs (three earned) in the first inning, Norwich sophomore RHP Jonathan Philbrook (0-5) settled down and kept the Raiders off the board for the remainder of the game. He finished with nine strikeouts, eight hits allowed and three walks.

Senior 1B Dustin Fleming and freshman OF Charles Schaub both went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored to lead the Cadet bats.

NU struck first in the second game when junior INF David Maxfield led off the bottom of the first inning with a single before stealing second. Fleming then continued to wield a hot bat as he delivered a two-out RBI single to the outfield, plating Maxfield, and advanced to second on the throw home.

Senior OF Travis Dyke then added a clutch hit of his own when he hit a single to right field with two strikes to bring around Fleming and stake Norwich to a 2-0 lead.

Rivier pushed across a run in the fifth when Weaver scored on an RBI groundout by Ford Coates to make it 2-1.

The Cadets added two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning when sophomore OF Dustin Shimkus drilled a leadoff double to the center-field fence. Fleming then singled through the right side to put runners on first and third. Following Fleming's clean steal of second base, freshman DH Devin Cilley hit a sacrifice fly to right field to bring home Shimkus. Fleming moved up on the play as well and subsequently scored on a passed ball to run the lead to 4-1.

The Raiders would not go down without a fight, however, as Coates delivered a two-run double with two outs in the top of the seventh to cut it to 4-3.

NU sophomore RHP Conar Mahon settled down and got the final out as he got Montello to fly out to Schaub in right to end the game.

Mahon (1-3) turned in one of his finest performances of the season in capturing the Cadets' first win in a complete-game effort. He allowed two earned runs on three hits while striking out eight and walking one.

Fleming rounded out his stellar day by going 2-for-2 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored. Maxfield went 3-for-3 with a run scored in the nightcap.