The Stevens Institute of Technology Baseball team secured an 11-10 win over King’s College (PA) in a tightly matched Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom opener on Friday, April 16, at Dobbelaar Field. The game featured seven multi-run innings and 27 total hits, with the Ducks completing a late comeback to take the victory.
Stevens got off to a powerful start, as junior Chip Krese opened the game with a home run to right field. He would repeat the feat in the second inning, following a solo shot from first-year Vinnie Stigliano, helping the Ducks take a 4-3 lead after an early three-run inning from King’s. On the defense, junior Quinton Sterling made an impact early with a catch at the wall in right field, which prevented an extra-base hit and potentially saved a run.
After a quiet stretch in the third and fourth innings, King’s tied the game in the fifth with bases-loaded groundouts. Senior Dylan Fishbough was hit by a pitch and reached base, advancing to third on a groundout, and scored on a single from first-year Veer Wadhwani for a 6-4 lead, but the Monards jumped back in front, and the momentum shifted again. They scored four runs in the sixth and added two more in the seventh to build a 10-6 advantage.
Despite the deficit, Stevens remained composed in the final innings. After cutting into the lead in the seventh, the Ducks delivered their biggest moment in the eighth. With bases loaded up and without putting the ball in play, graduate student Griffin Zitko singled up the middle to bring in two runs, narrowing the score to 10-9. After another walk loaded the bases, sophomore Edward “E.J.” Balewitz Jr. dropped a single into right field, scoring Sterling with the game-tying run. Next, Adam Barrington lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home Zitko and put Stevens back in front, 11-10.
In the ninth, sophomore Connor Herlihy set the Monarchs down in order, sealing a hard-fought comeback win for Stevens.
The Ducks return to play again this Saturday, April 25, against Fairleigh Dickinson University at 12:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. in Madison.
