On Sunday, February 12, the Stevens baseball team hosted the City College of New York (CCNY) for a pair of games at Dobbelaar Field at the DeBaun Athletic Complex. The Ducks went 14-2 in the first game of seven innings and 13-2 in the second game.
This doubleheader allowed for some impressive performances. Sophomores Zachary Boykin and Liam DeRubertis each hit a home run, marking Boykin’s first career grand slam. Additionally, Boykin had eight runs batted in (RBI) and DeRubertis had two. Senior Justin Doyle and first-year Erik Sibbach each contributed strong performances from the pitcher’s mound. Doyle struck out four, walked one, and allowed only one earned run on seven hits. Sibbach allowed only two hits across five scoreless innings, struck out seven and walked one.
Additionally, the Ducks found a lot of success at the plate. Sophomore Evan Pravato went four for six across both games, had two runs batted in, and stole a base while junior Frank Tonina scored four runs. Sophomore Colby Ching went two-for-two with one run batted in. Early in the first game, sophomore Eli Somers hit a single through the right side, marking the Ducks’ first hit of the season, to allow senior Ben Tobio to move to second and eventually within scoring position after CCNY made a throwing error. DeRubertis hit a grounder out to short, allowing Tobio to score. Following up, senior Michael Reyes also grounded to short, allowing Somers to score.
The sixth inning of the first game was particularly successful for the Ducks. They were already ahead 4-2, but they added an impressive 10 runs against CCNY’s three relief pitchers. Of these 10 runs, Boykin contributed three RBIs, including a two-RBI triple.
This game marked the collegiate debuts of Kieran O’Brien, Daniel Roman, Alex Stillwell, Liam Houghton, and Dylan Fishbough. Additionally, this game marked the first career starts for O’Brien, DeRubertis, Ching, Roman, and Victor Schilleci.
Moreover, the Ducks were recognized following their impressive performances in these games. On Monday, February 13, the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) announced their picks for the conference Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Week. Boykin was named MAC Freedom Player of the Week, while Sibbach was named MAC Freedom Pitcher of the Week.
