FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Edgewood College baseball team unveiled some pop in the offensive lineup, pounding out eight extra base hits in a doubleheader sweep of Lasell College. The Eagles held off a late Laser rally for a 9-7 win in game one and rode a complete game pitching performance by Andy Swanson to a 10-2 victory in game two.
First inning trouble bit the Eagles for the second day in a row in the opening game. Lasell College (2-3) posted three runs in the bottom of the first inning, off Eagles starting pitcher Steve Gavin. Gavin would settle in and yield just two more hits, while striking out five over five innings of work. Meanwhile, Edgewood College began their comeback in the second inning. Casey Seelow, making his Eagle debut, roped a double into the left center field gap to score Tim Nunn and Jeff Tucker and cut the Lasers' lead to 3-2.
In the fourth inning, the Eagles tied the game 3-3 on a Nunn sacrifice fly, to set the stage for a huge fifth inning. After a pair of walks to Nik Visone and Danny Appino, Jonathon Roehler laced a triple to plate two go-ahead runs. That would be the first of three straight extra-base hits. Andrew Lauritzen followed with a double to score Roehler and Nick Lehner sent a two-run home run to deep right field to put Edgewood College ahead 8-3.
Lasell trimmed into the Eagles' margin with two runs in the sixth, but Tucker singled home Lehner in the top of the seventh for a 9-5 Edgewood College lead. Lasell's Dom Mascolo provided some anxious moments by lifting a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh, but Eagles reliever AJ Verhage got the final two outs of the game with the tying run at the plate.
Lehner had two hits for the game, including the third home run of his career, as well as a career-high three runs scored. Roehler and Seelow each had two runs batted in, with their first hits as Eagles. Gavin earned his first win of the season and was supported out of the bullpen by Bryce Lashley, Ryan Howell and Verhage.
The Eagles left little doubt in the second game, scoring all 10 of their runs in the first four innings. After Lehner drove in Appino with a single to left field, Garrett Bogucki crushed his first career home run to left center to give Edgewood College a 3-0 lead. In the third inning, the Eagles took advantage of a couple of Lasell errors to score four runs, with three of them being unearned runs. Freshman Paul Cappetta drove in a run on a fielder's choice and Appino delivered an RBI single. Roehler picked an RBI by drawing a bases loaded walk.
Edgewood College blew the game open with three more runs in the fourth inning. Cappetta and Jake Yellovich registered RBI singles and a third run scored on another Lasers' error.
Meanwhile, Swanson was cruising along. The senior allowed only a first inning single through the first four innings. Swanson wasn't touched for a score until the final inning, when Lasell pushed across two runs on three hits. For Swanson, it was the fourth complete game of his career, and his first since 2014. He finished the game with four strikeouts and only one walk and six hits allowed.
At the plate, Appino reached base four times on two singles and two bases on balls. Cappetta and Yellovich went 2-for-4 each with Cappetta driving in a pair of runs.
Edgewood College will continue action in the Gene Cusic Classic, on Tuesday when they play the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford in a doubleheader on Tuesday morning.
