Bautze Goes The Distance In Gulls' 5-1 Win Over Worcester St.

COACH HALEY'S POSTGAME INTERVIEW

BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott baseball team returned to North Field for the first time since before Spring Break and earned a 5-1 victory over visiting Worcester St. behind a complete-game, three-hitter from sophomore right-hander Owen Bautze (Sudbury, Mass.).

Bautze earned the win (1-1) on a complete-game, three-hitter (95 pitches), as he issued zero walks and had a game-high/career-high eight strikeouts.

Worcester St. junior RHP starter Zach Zona (Auburn, Mass.) suffered the loss (1-2) on 7 1/3 innings pitched, as he allowed five runs (all earned) on seven hits, one walk and tallied seven punchouts. 

The game was scoreless through the first three and half frames until freshman first baseman Chris Seidl (Dracut, Mass.) sent a ball sailing over the left field fence for his first career homer, plating senior right fielder Matthew Paola (Middlebury, Conn.) to give the hosts a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth.

Endicott tacked on another run in the fifth as sophomore second baseman Michael DeDonato (Chelmsford, Mass.) doubled to right center to score senior shortstop Cody Hall (Rutland, Mass.).

Freshman first baseball George Bielizna (Danbury, Conn.) was hit by a pitch in the seventh and advanced to second on a passed ball before junior left fielder Jake Ryan's (Northbride, Mass.) double to left center brought home Bielizna (unearned) for the Lancer's lone run of the game.

The Gulls added two insurance runs in the eighth as DeDonato hammered a solo shot to left center to lead off the inning and junior third baseman Mike Kochiss (Fairfield, Conn.) had an RBI single scoring freshman pinch runner Matt Bald (De Pere, Wisc.) for the host's final run of the afternoon.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• DeDonato finished his night going 2-for-4 with two extra-base hits (two RBI) and one run scored out of the leadoff spot in the lineup as he leads the team with four multi-hit games this season.
• DeDonato has three extra-base hits this season, including one double and two home runs.
• Seidl extended his hitting streak to seven straight games, good for the longest on the team this season.
• Hall had Endicott's first hit of the game as he broke up a perfect game bid with one out in the bottom of the third.
• Bautze retired 13 batters in a row after allowing a single in the third inning and up until he hit a batter in the top of the seventh inning.
• Bautze's complete-game was the second one of his career and his first of the season.
• This was the second time this season that Endicott had two home runs in a game (March 13 vs. Franklin & Marshall.)

FOR THE FOES

• Ryan went 1-for-4 in the No. 5 slot for the Lancers and had the team's only extra-base hit (double) and one RBI.
• Zona struck out seven before he was relieved by junior righty Neil Begley (Springfield, Mass.) in the eighth.
• Begley gave up two hits in 2/3 innings pitched.
• Senior third baseman John Boyd (Worcester, Mass.) had the first hit of the ball game in the top of the first inning.

NOTES

• Endicott is 7-6-1 all-time vs. Worcester St. and 6-3-1 at home in the all-time series dating back to the 1996 season.
• The Gulls have won the past three meetings, including a 3-1 victory at home in the most recent matchup before today on March 24, 2015.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (5-3) returns to action on Thursday, March 24 as the Gulls welcome Framingham St. to North Field for a non-conference game at 3:30 p.m. Worcester St. (6-6) travels to face UMass Boston on Thursday, March 24 at 6:00 p.m. 

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