Baseball: Savard, Raiders fall in extra innings against Swarthmore

(Fort Myers, Fla.) The Rivier University Baseball team opened their annual Spring Break Trip this afternoon as they fell to Swarthmore College, 3-2 in 11-innings at the Terry Park Sports Complex in a windy Fort Myers, Fla.

The game was a scoreless affair until the fifth inning when the Raiders struck for their first lead of the season. With no-one out and the bases loaded, freshman Brendan Sullivan (Manchester, N.H.) laced a single just over the shortstop's leap which plated both sophomores David Pappalardo (Methuen, Mass.) and Jorge Martinez (Methuen, Mass.). Those would be the only runs that Rivier would score as they couldn't get the go-ahead run across the plate the rest of the way.

Swarthmore tied the game in the home half of the sixth when Connor Elliot singled home Cole Beeker and Jackson Robe.

Senior Charlie Savard (Tyngsboro, Mass.) received the no-decision as he spun six innings allowing two runs on seven hits and walked just one batter. Freshman Marcus Ferdinand (Middleboro, Mass.) had a stellar debut as he came in and pitched three scoreless innings surrendering three hits and older brother, junior Tyler Ferdinand (Middleboro, Mass.) was able to pitch out of a 1st and 2nd, no-out jam in the tenth. Tyler Ferdinand, however, allowed two hits including the game winning walk-off triple to Swarthmore's Jard Gillen in the fateful eleventh.

Sullivan finished the day as the offensive leader with his 1-for-3, 2 RBI performance. Also collecting their first hits in a Raider uniform were junior Jonathan De La Cruz (Haverhill, Mass.) and freshman Ryan Larkin (Whitman, Mass.).

Ricky Conti was the starting pitcher for the Garnets and tossed 5.2 innings allowing the two runs on four hits. Griffin Kammerer earned the win as he pitched the top of the 11th inning. Swarthmore recorded twelve hits on the afternoon as Gillen went 4-for-5 and Elliot finished 2-for-5 with 2 RBI.

Rivier, 0-2 overall, will have a tough test when they return to the field tomorrow afternoon as they battle Elms College over at the Lee County Player Development Complex. In their only matchup last season, Elms downed the Raiders twice in a non-conference twin-bill here in Fort Myers.