CONTACT: Adam Sopris, a.sopris@hvcc.edu, (518) 629-7898 or (518) 416-2137
FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Sunday, February 18, 2024
The Hudson Valley Community College baseball season got off to a tremendous start as they won its season-opener 7-4 in the first game of a doubleheader against Anne Arundel on Sunday afternoon in Arnold, Md.
This is the third straight year the baseball program kicked off its season with a trip to play Anne Arundel and it is the first time the Vikings leave the weekend with a victory. The win is the program's first-ever win during the month of February.
Game One: Hudson Valley 7, Anne Arundel 4 (Final)
The Vikings did not waste any time as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Colin Lynch connected for a two-RBI single up the middle to allow Connor Waiting and Matthew Carrera to score to first runs of the game.
In the fifth inning, with the game tied at 2-2, the Vikings scored another two runs behind Jeremy Taggart's sac fly to right field, scoring Carrera for the second time of the game. Later in the inning, Carrera scored an error by Anne Arundel, which was initiated by a Waiting at-bat.
Anne Arundel pushed the Vikings back to a 4-4 tie with the game entering the final inning. In the seventh, Waiting sent a pitch to centerfield for an RBI single, which allowed Carrera to score his third run of the game, and Alex Marino to put Hudson Valley up 6-4 with one out. Taggart started the rally with a double to right field before being lifted for a pinch runner by Marino at second base.
The Vikings scored one more insurance run when Anthony Rizzo singled his third base hit of the game to centerfield, which allowed Waiting to score the Vikings seventh run of the game. In the bottom half of the seventh, the Vikings set Anne Arundel down, 1-2-3 and secured the win in the 2024 season opener.
Game Two: Anne Arundel 5, Hudson Valley 4 (Final – 8 innings)
The second game of the day was another instant classic as the Vikings had their bid to sweep the opening day series ruined as they fell in extra innings.
Similar to the first game, the Vikings jumped out on top of Anne Arundel with a 1-0 lead when Matthew Castrogiovanni hit a sac fly to centerfield, which allowed Carrera to score.
In the home half, N. Holland homered to left field to score two runs, but the Vikings did not trail for long as they immediately jumped back on top 3-2 in the top of the second inning. Rizzo managed to reach on an error, which allowed Tyree Jackson and Aidan Chrysler to score a pair of unearned runs.
Similar to the earlier innings, Anne Arundel responded immediately in the bottom half of the inning, scoring the tying run on a single down the right field line. The game then entered a stalemate for the next four innings, resulting in the Vikings first extra-inning game of the season.
In the top of the eighth inning, the Vikings pulled ahead when Chrysler hit a sac fly to left field, which allowed Brandon Connolly to score to go-ahead run. However, in the bottom of the inning, Anne Arundel scored two runs on three hits to secure the comeback win to split the day.
Up Next:
Baseball returns to action on Sunday, March 3 as they travel to take on Kingsborough Community College for a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. in Brooklyn, NY.