WEST PALM BEACH, FL - Senior pitcher
Jon Walsh tossed seven innings of one-run ball Tuesday afternoon, leading the Deacons to a nail-biting 2-1 victory over C.W. Post University in the fifth game of their Spring Break trip to Florida.
The righty was the definition of efficiency in his first start of the season - surrendering a single earned run over seven frames, Walsh needed just 77 pitches to stifle the Pioneers offense and limit Post to just four hits and a walk. The Deacons were able to take a 1-0 lead in the third inning, when
Chris Rosa reached base on a passed ball, and later scored from third on a wild pitch to plate the Deacons' first run of the afternoon. Post would quickly answer with a run in the top of the fourth, tieing the score on an RBI single.
That's the way it would stay until the sixth, when the Deacons would plate what would prove to be the winning run in the contest. Leadoff man
Anderson Minyetty got things started with a walk, and senior second baseman
Edwin Pagan stroked a single to left to put the Deacons in business.
Emilio Fernandez followed, and reached base on a hit-by-pitch, leaving the bases loaded with no outs in the inning.
Junior first baseman
Anthony Fratto strode to the plate next, and knocked an infield single to the right side to score Minyetty and give the Deacons a 2-1 advantage. It would be all BC would get, though, as the rally was halted with the score at 2-1.
Walsh put the ball in the hands of the capable Deacons bullpen, who fire two scoreless innings to preserve the save. Junior
Louis Castillo played the role of setup man in the eighth, surrendering a pair of hits but tightening his belt to record a scoreless inning, and sophomore
Rafael Cruz shut the door on a Pioneers comeback by picking up his first save of the season in a scoreless ninth.
The team returns to the diamond Thursday, March 11 with a matchup against Adelphi University. First pitch is scheduled for 10:00 AM.